Transmutate
by Femtransfan
Summary: Shortly before season 2 starts, the Rescue Bots get new recruits assigned by Optimus Prime, both human and cybertronian. The bots may have more than they bargained for when one has unusual abilities and a new villain arrives in search of one of the recruits. There is also going to be some love. Rated T for safety. They're might be some sensitive material, FYI.
1. New Recruits (not the episode)

Transmutate prologue

Heatwave's Sunday was the same as all the rest: wake up, get daily ration of Energon, take a long and hot shower (when you're a fire-response bot you need really hot and long showers to feel the heat because your armor is very heat resistant), and give Optimus the week's review of rescues, what the humans did, etc., if there wasn't an emergency going on.

"Heatwave! Would you quit using all the hot water?"

Heatwave turned his helm in the direction of the voice. It was Kade, dripping wet and in a towel (and no, Heatwave wasn't on step three of his Sunday routine, he was going to give the review).

"I told you that I can't feel that much heat with my armor." Heatwave calmly replied.

"Screw you and your stupid armor!" Kade shouted.

 _Not again_ , Heatwave thought, this happened nearly every week, "Shouldn't you turn off the water after showering?"

"Of course, I-" then Kade remembered something, "dang it!" He then ran to the elevator. He forgot to turn the water off.

Now Heatwave could contact Optimus.

Xxx

"... and then Blades fainted," Heatwave told Optimus. "Who knew Bret could pull off a costume like that?" (It was a very scary zombie.)

" _What did the humans say when he fainted?_ " Optimus asked.

"Kade said that they should probably refuel us."

" _Good_."

"Well, I guess I'll contact you next week," Heatwave was about to turn off the monitor.

" _Before you turn off the Monitor,"_ the Prime began, _"I have some news for you-"_

"You're gonna let me join your team?" Heatwave eagerly asked.

" _No_."

"Aw..."

 _"This is for you and your team._ "

"I'll get them."

xxx

A few moments later, Rescue Squad Stigma 17 was in the monitor room.

" _This is very important to all of you,_ " Optimus told them, " _four more Autobots a Maximal, a Pretender, and a Transmutate will be joining your team. Chroma,"_ a picture of a femme with a color scheme like Chase's and her alt. mode, a police motorcycle appeared on the screen. Chase thought she was hot. _"First Aid_ ," a clip of an ambulance rolling onto a military base was shown. The ambulance transformed into a robot, which had a battle mask and visor covering his face and electro-magnetic clamps in his wrists, powerful enough to lift 20 tanks, as shown in the clip. Blades frowned, fearing he knew why First Aid would join them. " _Brains,_ " a small bot who turned into a laptop was seen. " _Wheelie,_ " a clip was seen of a toy monster truck transforming into its bipedal mode. _"K-9_ ," a picture of a German Shepperd was seen. Boulder got a lump in his tanks because he knew Chief Burns wouldn't allow a dog in the house. " _Lindsy_ ," the only picture there was, was that of a blonde in an animal control outfit. _"and Jacqueline Morici._ " the teen was looking at a horse. She had blue hair and eyes until she looked at the camera and they turned brown and hazel.

"How will we find Chroma and First Aid humans?" Boulder asked.

" _We are still working on it._ "

"What are the Pretender and the Transmutate gonna do?" Blades asked.

" _They will be animal control._ "

"Now I won't have to get Mr. Pettypaws out of that stupid tree anymore." Heatwave said.

 _"One more thing_ ," Optimus said, _"Jacqueline has trouble controlling her Transmutate abilities sometimes. She has been known to be violent. Good luck with your new teammates."_

The screen turned off.

xxx

"One of them's a dog?" Chief Burns said.

"Yes," Chase said, "Boulder is worried you won't allow him to stay."

"Well," Chief thought for a moment, "I guess we could have K-9 stay for a while, but I don't think he should stay long. You know the rules."

"Yes sir."

xxx

"Animal control would be nice to have," Graham said. "This Jackie girl seems to take good care of them."

"Yeah." Boulder said. _And maybe she'll give us some tips on dogs._

 _xxx_

"What do you mean you don't like the new medic?" Dani asked.

"I think he handles gory stuff better than me," Blades said sadly.

"You don't know that for sure." _But he probably does._

 _xxx_

"So, Chase has a crush on this girl?" Kade said, laughing a bit.

"Yeah," Heatwave said, also laughing, "she is way out of his league!"

xxx

Three days later.

Chief arrived at the military base at 07:00. When he got out of the car he heard barking. He looked to Building E and saw a German Shepard running to him, looking ready to attack. Just when he thought he was going to be bitten, the dog sniffed him. The dog backed up.

"K-9, Maximize!" the dog said before transforming.

"Never gonna get used to that." Chief said.

"Hi," the Maximal said extending a servo, "I'm K-9."

xxx

"Jackie, Chief Burns is here." Wheelie said into the comm. link.

"She likes horseback riding." Brains explained.

"And how old is she?" Chief Burns asked.

"16,"Lindsy said, "she socializes better with animals than humans."

"Good to know."

"So, this is the flesh bag?" a female voice said.

Chief turned around to see two Autobots, one white, and one blue.

"Chroma, " the white one said, "don't be mean."

Chroma rolled her optics.

xxx

Jackie and Abby, her horse, arrived just in time to leave. Jackie grabbed her bags and got into the car.

Chief looked at her as the car started to drive to the ferry, bots, and animals in tow.

"You're gonna love Griffin Rock." Chief said.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Dude." Jackie said. She noticed a puffin flying by and decided to talk to it and see if it had been to the island.

Chief looked in shock as her hair and eyes turned blue. _That might be a problem._


	2. Arrival

Transmutate ch1

The Rescue Bots and Burns' siblings were waiting anxiously for Chief Burns to come back from the mainland with seven new teammates.

"Do you think the femme will like me?" Chase asked.

"Nope." Kade replied.

"Anyone else?"

Everyone else was quiet.

"I will take that as a 'no'." Chase sadly frowned.

The phone rang.

"Griffin Rock Emergency," Dani said into the phone. "I'll send him right over." She turned to Kade. "That was Hayley, she wants to talk to you."

"Why?" Kade asked, "Is she okay?"

"All she said was that she needed to talk to you at her house."

"I hope she doesn't want to break up with me," Kade said a little scared. "C'mon Heatwave, let's go."

"I have to stay," Heatwave reminded him. "I need to greet the new guys."

"Fine, I'll use the old truck."

Kade drove off to Hayley's house.

"What's the real reason?" Blades asked.

"What do you mean." Heatwave asked back.

"Did something happen last time you take Kade Hayley's?"

Everyone at Heatwave staring now.

Heatwave started to blush. "I-I don't want to talk about it in front of Cody." _And Kade would kill me if I told them that he and Hayley did_ it _!_

30 minutes passed and neither Kade nor Chief Burns had shown up. 10 more minutes passed and they heard three to four engines. The new teammates had arrived.

Chief was the first to come out of the car.

"Kids, I'd like you t-" Chief began before he noticed something. "Where's Kade?"

"At Hayley's," Heatwave answered.

"Well, he's gonna miss out on meeting K-9."

K-9 trotted out of the car.

"Hi everyone," K-9 said. The three Burns siblings' jaws dropped. "My name's K-9. Why are your mouths open?"

"Because you're a talking dog!" Cody nearly yelled.

"Uh, Jackie," Chief said. "Would you like to say 'hello'?"

Jackie got out of the car and shyly waved.

"Wheelie? Brains?"

Wheelie and Brains also got out of the car.

"Whad'up?" Wheelie said, trying to be cool.

"Hey." Brains said.

Lindsy exited to animal control vehicle.

"Hello gu- no, Jackie, come back!" Lindsy said. Jackie was getting her horse out of the trailer.

"Chroma," Chief said, "First Aid, why don't you introduce yourselves."

First Aid and Chroma transformed into their bipedal modes.

"Um, hi," First Aid nervously said.

Chroma scoffed and rolled her optics.

xxx

"Sorry I took so long," Kade said as he came into Hayley's house. He saw her on the couch, crying a little. He ran over to her. "What's wrong?"

"Kade, I-I-" Hayley was starting to cry a little more.

"Hayley. What's wrong? Tell me. Take a deep breath, and tell me."

"I-I'm pregnant."

Kade's jaw dropped.


	3. Getting Acquainted

At the Firehouse, 3/4 of the Burns siblings and the four Rescue Bots were chatting with the new recruits.

"So, you can read animals minds?" Cody asked.

"No," Jackie responded, a bit angrily, "I communicate with them telepathically, which is how many animals speak." She took a breath to calm herself. "There's a difference."

xxx

"Uh, h-hi Chroma," Chase said, obviously nervous, "how do you like it here?"

Chroma stared at him in the optics, with a soul-piercing, icy look in her optics. "I'll let you know in a week," she calmly said.

Chase got chills from her stare.

xxx

"How do you handle gore?" Blades asked.

"Blades!" Dani said.

"What?"

"I told you not to ask that."

"Actually," First Aid said, "I can stand most serious trauma such as severe burns, broken skeletal rods, decapitation-"

 _THUD!_

"Uh, Blades?" First Aid asked, "Are you okay?"

Blades, laying on the floor, only groaned before blacking out.

xxx

Blades' optics fluttered open. He saw a light shining into them.

"Ugh..." Blades tried to move his helm and try to stop the light shining into his optics but his helm hurt like the Pit, ringing blocking out most sound to his audio receptors. "UGH!"

Xxx

"Is Blades gonna be okay?" Dani asked.

"Did you not see his helm hit the crate?" Chroma sarcastically said.

"Chroma's right," First Aid said, not catching the sarcasm, "Blades could have serious trauma. Blades - would you just - stay - still!"

Blades was sqwerming like a fish. Boulder and Chase helped First Aid finish the exam by holding Blades still.

"Blades doesn't seem to have any major injuries other than that gouged part on his helm," First Aid said, "I personally suggest he get some bed rest for a few days and a week of off-duty time after that."

"Good thing it's nothing serious." Heatwave said.

The phone rang.

"Griffin Rock Emergency," Chief Burns said into the phone, "We'll be right there Mrs. Neederlander." He hung up the phone. He turned to Chase and Jackie. "Case Jackie, you're with me."

"I'll get Abby," Jackie said.

xxx

They arrived at Mrs. Neederlander's house. Jackie looked at the tree.

 _"Is the dog gone?"_

"The cat wants to know if the dog's gone," Jackie told Chief. She saw the cat's owner's mouth open. "What?"

"Jackie," Chief said, "your hair."

"Oops," she realized her hair turned blue. She turned to the cat, "Don't worry, there's no dog."

Chase got the cat out of the tree.

xxx

Blades felt someone carrying him. He opened his optics, everything was a bit blurry, but his optics adjusted. He looked at who was carrying him. It was Boulder.

"What happened?" Blades asked, very softly.

"You passed out and hit you helm," Boulder answered, "First Aid says you need a few days of bed rest and a week off after that."

After a few minutes of walking, Blades was placed onto his berth by Boulder.

"Why did I faint?"

Boulder didn't want to tell Blades the truth.

"You and First Aid were talking and you, just, passed out-"

"Because I'm a cowered!"

"W-what? No!"

"I know why I fainted Boulder!" Blades began to take heavy breaths, "I know."

"Blades," Boulder crouched down to look Blades in the optics, "get some rest. Doctor's orders."

"Okay." Blades closed his optics and drifted off to sleep.

xxx

Kade arrived home at 5:00 p.m.

"What took you?" Heatwave asked.

"I did something stupid."

"Like what?"

"I got Hayley pregnant." Kade said as he face palmed.

"I told you that it was a bad idea."

"Shut up."


	4. Nightmare

Blades was tossing and turning in his sleep, trapped within the grip of a nightmare.

xxx

 _Crashing. Fire. Cybertronians screaming. Energon splattering and catching fire. A severed helm landing in his lap._

 _xxx_

"AAAHHHH!"

Jackie woke up, startled by the scream. She walked to the door, old Easter Bunny, Snowball, in hand. Everyone was running past her. She figured one of the Rescue Bots had a bad dream. She saw some of the Burns had used the fire poll. She activated her Transmutate mode, blue hair, silver skin, blue eyes, and a jetpack-thing coming from between her lower shoulder blades, and flew down the fire poll-thing. Good thing she wasn't wearing a nightgown. She followed the Burns and her three sorta-friends to a room on the Rescue Bots ship. She saw Blades crying and whimpering in the fetal position. She figured that he screamed and himself because she knew she smelled something bad.

"It's all right Blades," Boulder said, calming his teammate down, "it was just a bad dream."

"N-no it wasn't," Blades said between sobs, "It was a flashback."

"Ya had to say it," Chroma said meanly to First Aid.

"You don't think I feel bad enough!" First Aid shot back.

"C'mon Abby," Jackie whispered to her horse, "Let's go help calm down Blades."

Jackie and Abby walked as quietly as possible and hid under Blades' berth. They waited until everyone was gone, which took 30 minutes, then Jackie poked her head out.

 _"Is it safe to come out?"_ Abby asked.

"Yep."

Jackie walked over to the night stand to help her climb into the berth. Abby saw her struggling a bit and used her head to push her up.

"Thanks Abby." Jackie whimpered.

 _"_ _You're welcome ,"_Abby said, _" now help me up."_

"Herp!" Jackie was struggling with helping her horse up. She yelped when she felt someone or something touch her lower back.

"What're you doing here?" a tired voice said.

Jackie turned her head around to look at Blades.

"To sleep with you in case you have another bad dream," Jackie said, grunting because she was holding her horse.

Blades extended his arm to pull Abby up. Jackie crawled onto his chest.

"G'night," she whispered.

 _" Same here."_ Abby yawned.

Blades put a servo on Jackie's back and closed his optics. _Maybe I won't have that dream again now._ he thought before getting a good night's rest.

Xxx

First Aid was taking Blades' his daily rations when he saw Blades sleeping with two guests. He walked over to the berth and woke them up.

"Guys," he said softly, "it's time to get up."

"Why?" Jackie yawned.

"Chief's going to introduce us to the town, remember?"

 _" Food first!"_ Abby said.

"Food first," Jackie said, "then introduction."

Jackie and Abby got out of the berth. Blades started to get out but First Aid stopped him.

"You're on bed rest, remember?" First Aid reminded Blades.

"I'm just going to the mech's room," Blades told First Aid.

"Okay, but remember that you need rest."

Then First Aid left to get ready to meet to townspeople.

xxx

"We have to pretend to be mindless machines!?" Chroma said, clearly upset.

"Yes," Chase said trying to explain. "We have to pretend to be mindless machines so the townspeople won't suspect anything."

"Wha' a'out mif?" Jackie asked with a mouth full of food.

"Dye your hair blue."

"Okay."

"And possibly wear blue contacts."

"Nuh-uh!"

"She doesn't like to stick thing in her eyes." Chroma said.

"Where will I live?"

"She wants to know if there's a farm or something to keep her horse." Lindsy explained.

"I'll talk to Chief about her living place later." Chase told them.

xxx

First Aid retracted his battle mask and visor for the first time at the fire house. He splashed some cool water on his face.

 _Okay First Aid,_ he thought to himself, _don't worry. These bots won't harm you. They won't beat you. They won't molest you._ He looked in the mirror and put a servo near a scar on the right side of his face that a former teammate, someone he trusted, hit him with a sword while drunk. A lot of bad things happened to him because of that mech. He took a deep breath. "Rotors w-won't find you here." First Aid tried to keep back some tears, but a few escaped.

"Hey, First Aid."

First Aid drew his battle mask and visor and turned around. Heatwave was behind him.

"The others are ready to go," Heatwave said, "you okay."

"Yeah, I'm okay."

Heatwave looked at him suspiciously. "All right then."

First Aid relaxed a bit.

"But I want to talk to you later." Heatwave told him.

First Aid tensed up. _Why did he sound so angry?_


	5. Trail Ride

Well, the introduction of the two new Rescue Bots, police dog, and animal control went good, except when Abby's saddle fell off with Jackie still in it! Luckily, Jackie had her helmet on.

Five minutes after Jackie told everyone she was fine, First Aid got his first mission. A little kid fell out of a tree.

When Dani and First Aid arrived at the scene, along with K-9 because he jumped in and they were his ride home, everyone stared in awe as First Aid's medic programing determined if the little boy had broken anything, which he had not, it was only a few bruises.

It wasn't too long after that, First Aid had to go to another emergency, this one was bad. Heatwave and Kade were there when they arrived. Apparently, the guy thought it was a good idea to get rid of his gopher problem with TNT, dynamite. The guy was lucky to be alive.

Xxx

Jackie was on a trail ride with Abby to get away from the people who thought she was weird, well, she didn't know anyone yet, but she knew people were going to tease her with annoying songs just so they could get a reaction from her. Abby stopped.

"What's up?" Jackie asked.

 _"We're not alone,"_ Abby said.

Jackie looked around. "H-hello?" she called out.

Silence.

"Let's go back," Jackie said.

 _" Yes, let's," _Abby agreed.

As they walked back, a young man, probably 20, was watching them, to be more exact, Abby, the Quarter Horse. The young man had glasses, a mustard hoodie, brownish-blackish hair, jeans, sneakers, a mute, and a criminal history. His name was Evan. He always loved horses, his parents used to run a riding center. But when he was eight the riding center caught fire, his mother died in it, the horses ran off into the nearby forest, and he was kicked in the larynx by a part draft horse. At home, after the fire, his father became an alcoholic and beat him and his brother. He ran out of the house once to get help for his brother when his father grabbed Myles, Evan's twin, by the hair and dragged him down to the basement. Thankfully, Myles survived, but they had to be put into foster care. They we're put in a good home. 10 years later, they returned to the island, but Myles had become a crook. Not wanting to have his only family member he had het hurt, he accompanied his brother in most crimes.

"Evan!" a voice sharply, but a bit soft, said.

Evan sighed and walked 30 feet to the makeshift camp he made.

"Got any food?" the voice said. It was Myles.

Evan did some digging in his pockets and pulled out some berries. He gave them to his twin who gobbled them up. Evan inwardly sighed. If his brother had only listened to him then he wouldn't be tending to him like a nurse. He knew his brother wasn't stupid enough to try and steal a tractor, which had broken Myles' leg. He wanted his brother to go to a hospital, but Myles said, "NO!", like always. They've been hiding in the woods for two weeks now and Myles had started a fever. Evan feared his twin would die.

Xxx

"So how'd you get that scar?" Heatwave asked.

"I-I don't want to talk about it," First Aid said, "I-it's personal."

"Look, if you're scared that someone will hurt you, talk to me, Chroma, or Optimus, okay?"

"Okay. I'm afraid you'll hit me."

Heatwave was shocked. "I'd never hit you, that's a promise!"

"You sound angry a lot."

"Really?"

"Yep,"

And with that, First Aid headed to his room.


	6. Another Nightmare

Evan woke up. He looked at his twin and what he saw scared him. Myles was barely conscious and very pale.

 _Oh, my God,_ he thought, _I must get him medical attention._

He tried to pick up his brother, but Myles screamed in pain. He looked at Evan with worry in his eyes. Evan decided to see if his twin's injury had gotten any worse. It was. Evan almost vomited when he saw the bone sticking through the maggot covered flesh.

 _I must get the Burnses,_ Evan decided. He rebandaged his twin's leg and went to get help. He didn't hear Myles' voice say, "Don't leave me," for Myles could barely speak.

xxx

"Someone watched me and Abby on our trail ride." Jackie said.

"What?" Graham said, after everyone looked in surprise at Jackie.

"Me and Abby were riding when Abby sensed someone watching us. I called out to see if anyone was there and when no one answered we left."

"We should probably investigate later to see if anyone's hiding there." Wheelie said.

"Wow that's the least stupid idea you've had so far." Brains said jokingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It was a joke, man."

"Can I go?" Jackie asked, not wanting to be the cause of an argument.

"After you finish your eggs," Dani said, "You haven't touched them."

"Let me see," Wheelie said. He poked the egg yolk with a fork and runny yolk came out. "There's the problem, it's a runny egg."

"So?"

"It's like eating slime." Jackie said, shoving away her plate a little.

"We'll you need protein."

"Okay," Jackie got a sausage out of her pocket and ate it. Wheelie and Brains were cracking up while the others rolled their eyes, facepalmed, and/or chuckled.

"Told ya I didn't eat it," K-9 mumbled under his breath.

"Who puts food in their pocket?" Kade asked.

"Jackie does," Lindsey answered.

xxx

Doc Greene just woke up and made himself some breakfast. While he was eating, it he heard some noise coming from the lab. Doc decided to see what it was. He grabbed his cell phone and a flash light.

 _CRASH!_

"Agh!"

Doc ran to the lab to see what happened. He saw that a shelf had fallen. He gasped when he saw an arm sticking out from under it. He called the Burnses.

xxx

Jackie was clearing the table while everyone else went to check on Blades, who woke up screaming. Again. The phone rang and Jackie answered it.

"Griffin Rock Emergency, Jacqueline Morici speaking." she said.

"Put Chief Burns on the phone, please." the voice on the other line said.

"'Kay, 'kay."

Jackie activated her Transmutate mode and flew to the Burnses. When she caught up to them she handed the phone to Chief.

"We'll be right there," Chief said. "There's a break in at the lab and the crook needs medical attention."

"Got it," First Aid said.

xxx

"Differ, get back here with the toaster!" Frankie yelled.

"Toast. Toast," Differ said holding the toaster.

"Differ, this isn't funny!"

"Toast. Toast," Differ went into the lab. "Toast?"

"Gotcha!" Frankie had the messed-up bot by the tie.

"Frankie!" Doc said.

"What Dad?"

"You can't be here right now."

"Why?"

"Someone broke into the lab and got crushed by a shelf."

"Okay, I'll go see if the Burnses are here." Frankie went to the driveway.

xxx

"I don't see why we have to bring Jackie," Heatwave said.

"No one trusts her by herself," Wheelie said.

"She's a teen, she should be fine by herself."

When they arrived at the lab Frankie was waiting.

"Jackie," Chief said, "stay with Frankie."

"Okay." Jackie said. She sat down and when the Greene's two Dobermans, Edison, and Aristotle, came barking at her she let them sniff her. She petted them.

After Boulder and Chase got the shelf off the crook Dani and Kade got him on the gurney. They were taking him to First Aid, who was in his alt. mode, when Jackie stopped them.

"Jackie," Dani said, "we must take him to the hospital or he might die!"

Jackie put her hand on the young man's forehead. After 15 seconds, she said: "His brother's leg is broken and it's infected and he might die."

"How'd you know about his brother?" Graham asked.

"I don't know," Jackie said, shrugging her shoulders. "We should look for him though."

Chief sighed, a bit unbelieving, "After we take Evan to the hospital."

"Me, Abby, and K-9 will look for the other person."

"Jackie," Chase began, "your horse is at the-" Abby showed up behind the Greene's Jeep. "Never mind."

xxx

Evan woke up in the hospital.

 _What happened?_ He turned his head to the side and saw what he thought was a dog's nose. _Where am I? Where's Myles? Oh, God! His leg! I must get the Burnses!_ He tried to get up, but someone pushed him down. It was either a female doctor or nurse.

"Don't worry," she said, "your brother's in surgery right now. I'll let you know when he gets out. Right now, you need some rest."

Evan nodded his head.

xxx

"Hey, Blades!" Jackie said excited. "Guess what I have!"

"What do you have?" Blades asked.

"A jar of maggots!" Jackie showed him the jar.

"Ugh! Gross! Why would you be happy for that?"

"Maggots eat dead flesh and leave healthy flesh alone. I collected them off some crook with a really broken leg."

"Okay, um, ewww!"

"I'm gonna feed them now."

"Yeah, um, you do that," then Blades mumbled, "while I vomit."

"Heard that!"

xxx

"Are you ready for school tomorrow?" Chief asked.

"I'm scared," Jackie said, "people teased me at my old school."

"Well, no one will tease you at school. They're all nice, well, maybe not Bret."

"Who's he?"

"He's a kid in your grade who's into horror movies and stuff like that."

"I like some of those movies."

"He also likes scaring Blades."

"He sounds like a jerk."

"He kinda is," Chief looked at her jacket. She appeared to be hiding something. "What's under your jacket?"

"A maggot jar."

"I'm not even gonna ask."

xxx

Heatwave was taking care of Chase's nightly rounds of the ship for him because Chroma "accidentally" K.O.'d him. As he was passing First Aid's room he heard grunts, moans, mewing, and panting. He opened the door a bit to see what was going on. He saw that First Aid was having a nightmare. He walked into the room and gently tried to wake him up, but when he put a servo on First Aid's shoulder, First Aid stiffened, whimpered, and had an accident. Then he woke up.

"Uh, hi," First Aid said, then he looked to his lower plating, "I'll clean myself."

"Bad dream?" Heatwave asked.

"Something like that."

"I'll get you some clean sheets."


	7. She can turn into a dragon!

Jackie was packing her school bag when she heard a commotion coming from downstairs. She went to go see what was going on. What she saw surprised and amazed her. Terre were horses in the firehouse and the Rescue Bots were trying to catch them. There were nine horses, 10 if you counted Abby.

"Ugh! This is getting tire some," Heatwave complained. He prepared to shoot icy cold water at the horses.

"Woah! Heatwave, let me handle this," Jackie said.

"Well," Heatwave lowered his arm, "you can try."

Jackie observed the horses behavior and found the alpha male. She got some carrots out of her horse treat bag and gave them to him. After he finished eating, she put her hand on his head, near the ears. Her hair turned blue.

"His name is Hawk," she said, "and he was looking for shelter for the herd because a storm is coming and the followed the cave to here. You guys spooked them."

"Sorry horses." Boulder said.

"They need a bath and some food," Jackie looked at the bots, "Can you guys help?"

"We will." Chase said.

xxx

Kade had a lot on his mind, mainly because he was gonna be a dad in nine months.

 _How can I be so stupid?_ he thought, _I should've known better! I'm gonna be the worst dad ever!_

CRSPLASH!

"What the..." Kade half ran, half walked to the fire pole. When he got to the bottom of the pole he saw what made the noise (a water bucket got knocked over). "Where did these horses come from?!"

 _"_ He _seems friendly ,"_ the mini horse, Teacup, said.

"You get used to him," Jackie said, cleaning up the spilled mess.

"Get these stupid, smelly horses out of here," Kade said with anger in his voice, "NOW!"

Jackie was scared. _Why is he shouting?_

"Didn't you here me? Get these stupid, smelly horses out of here!"

"N-no," Jackie squeaked, trying not to transmutate, "I w-won't. They need help."

"Look, Jackie!" Kade yelled as he grabbed her arm, "You're gonna get these stupid horses out of here, you dumb bitch!"

"NO!" Jackie's eyes changed from human to dragon.

"I don't think Kade meant to call you-" Heatwave started to say before...

 _SLAP!_

The Rescue Bots couldn't believe it. Kade slapped Jackie!

Jackie started to transmutate and Kade looked like he saw a ghost, which he was afraid of.

xxx

"Oh, God!"

Graham, who was walking to the kitchen, stopped in his tracks when he heard his older brother's scream. He ran to the fire pole and slid down it. He somehow managed to stop halfway down when he saw why his older brother screamed. Jackie had turned into a 15-foot anthromorphic dragon and was chasing Kade!

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to slap you!" Kade screamed as he tried to escape Jackie anger.

The Rescue Bots were trying to stop Jackie, but she flicked them away with her tail.

"RAAAWRR!" Jackie was getting more angry.

xxx

"RAAAWRR!"

 _Someone's in a bad mood,_ K-9 thought, _What caused her to transmutate this time?_

K-9 trotted over to the elevator and pressed the buttons with his nose. When he got to the bottom, the doors opened and...

"AAAHHHH!"

 _WHAM! THUD!_

K-9 looked at Kade, who totally got winded, and figured he did something that made her mad. He saw Jackie in a corner crying, she was slowly turning back to normal. He also saw a string (another word for herd) of horses huddled tightly together.

"Hey," K-9 said to the horses, "what happened?"

xxx

When Jackie calmed down she insisted on going to school.

Chase printed out a map for her.

"I'll give you the map after you apologize for throwing Kade," Chase said.

"He slapped me," Jackie said, "I'm not gonna apologize."

"Then you don't get the map."

"Screw you," Jackie muttered before she went to saddle her horse.

"Who made Jackie mad?" Brains said sleepily.

xxx

So far, Jackie had no idea where she was going. She tried to find the high school, but she was lost. She also was still upset because Kade slapped her for no reason. Was it because of her autism?

 _Whoop! Whoop!_

Jackie jumped in her saddle and turned her head around. It was Chase and Chief. Jackie started to panic on the inside and Abby knew she would involuntarily transmutate again if provoked. Chase and Chief pulled up to them. Chase's passenger side window rolled down.

"The school's the other way Jackie," Chief said, "and I'm sorry that Kade slapped you."

"Y-you're not g-gonna arrest me?" Jackie asked.

"Nope," Chief said, "Kade hasn't acted like that for a few years. And one more thing." He handed her a laptop and a remote control monster truck (remember the prologue?). "They're gonna help you out on your first day."

"Okay." Jackie trotted to the school... and then she made a wrong turn.

xxx

"Jackie turned into a dragon?!" Cody said.

"Again?" Lindsy moaned.

Everyone was surprised at two things: 1) Kade slapped Jackie, and 2) Jackie turned into a dragon.

"Optimus did say she has trouble controlling her transmutate abilities," Boulder said.

"He should have told us what she turned into," Heatwave said.

Xxx

Jackie was on her way home from school. What a great first day she had! No one teased her! No one called her weird! But they were surprised at her horse and two minibots.

She walked Abby into the makeshift stall behind the firehouse. She also gave the other horses treats.

"Hey, Jackie."

Jackie turned around. She saw Kade.

"Look," Kade began, "I'm sorry I-"

"GO AWAY!" Jackie screamed. She grabbed a rock on the ground and threw it at Kade.

"Whoa!" Kade barely missed it. "Uh, talk to your horses!" He slowly backed off."

xxx

Two weeks had passed and Jackie, Lindsy, Brains, Wheelie, and the horses moved to a newly refurbished ranch house and barn five miles from the school. Jackie had still not forgiving Kade for hitting her.


	8. Road Trip

Blades, Boulder, and Chroma walked up to the MHQ.

"Two words," Blades said. "Road trip."

"And I thought you were joking," Chroma said.

"We told ya," Blades said, regarding the whole-time travel fiasco.

"But it's still hard to believe, though."

"We're gonna need a bigger road." Boulder said as they looked at the huge vehicle.

xxx

Inside, Cody was telling Heatwave how to drive it.

"Cody," Heatwave said, "I know how to drive."

"Or _do_ you?" Jackie said, mostly because she didn't understand how non-beasties could see in their alt. modes.

Kade was talking to himself about the date plan with Hayley: "... and maybe we'll have some hummus."

"What're ya' talkin' 'bout?" Jackie asked Kade, due to her social disorder making her unable to take two sentences and understand both.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Heatwave said with a chuckle.

"My date with Hayley tomorrow." Kade answered.

"That chick you knocked up?" Jackie said as Cody left.

"Yes, Jackie," Kade said between clenched teeth while Heatwave tried not to laugh, "can you not remind me?"

 _Vrrrn... VRRRN!_

"Huh?" Jackie and Kade both said. They looked at Heatwave, who was looking at the dashboard and had the expression that resembled a teen who finally got his/her driver's license after years of bugging his/her parents about it.

 _SCREEE!_

"AAAHHHH!" Kade screamed as his chair practically flew back, nearly slamming him against the wall of the MHQ.

Jackie, who was sitting on a rail, gasped as she fell back, dropping 15-20 feet before landing on her head. She whimpered quietly before blacking out.

xxx

"Wow," Boulder said, "Kade must be a good driving teacher."

 _Boulder really is mostly brawn and low brain,_ Chroma thought.

xxx

Heatwave made a sharp turn.

"AAHHH!" Kade was still screaming, "Slow down!"

Heatwave screeched to a halt.

" _Guys_ ," Chief Burns said over the comm. link, " _I'm in pursuit of a speeder on Old Canyon Road and require assistance._ "

Heatwave grinned a bit. _Maybe the MHQ will stop the speeder._ "On our way," he said before putting the pedal to the medal.

"AHH! Come on!" Kade screamed.

xxx

First Aid was driving to his directed coordinates, where Heatwave was getting driving lessons. He slowed down when saw the road end.

 _Looks like I'm on foot,_ he thought while transforming.

As he was walking, he saw something shining. He squinted his optics trying to figure out what it was. _Are those,_ he thought, _headlights?_

 _Vrrr...!_ The sound of an engine met his audio receptors. Before he knew it, a large vehicle was coming at him.

"Woah!" He dodged to his left to avoid getting hit.

 _Snap!  
_  
First Aid gasped. He looked at his ankle. It was broken. The pain started to come.

xxx

Chief and Chase were struggling to catch up to the speeder, but he was too fast. Chase's sensors picked up a signal. A large object was moving quickly to the road.

 _What?_ Chase thought.

The MHQ came out of the woods and onto the road.

"AAHHH! Daddy!" Kade screamed.

xxx

Jerry was changing the tire of his bus when he saw a pinkish convertible speeding towards him. A larger vehicle drove _over_ the convertible and opened its back, which the convertible drove into. The vehicle stopped right in front of him. The next thing he knew, he was on his back and Chief Burns was next to him. He figured he fainted.

xxx

Chroma and Boulder were on their way to help Chief and Chase stop the speeder while Blades took Cody to the firehouse when they found First Aid crying a little while holding his leg.

"What happened?" Boulder asked. "Are you okay?"

"M-my ankle," First Aid said, "it's broken."

xxx

"Never do that again!" Kade said to Heatwave. He started to run out of the MHQ. "Gonna be sick..."

"Hmph! I wasn't _that_ bad," Heatwave said. "Jackie, do you thi-," Heatwave started to ask when he noticed that Jackie wasn't sitting on the rail where he last saw her. Nervous, he looked down. He saw Jackie on the floor, unconscious and bleeding. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no. No!" Heatwave said as he gently picked up Jackie. He commed First Aid. "First Aid, I need you here, now!"

" _I can't_ ," First Aid replied, " _my ankle's broken_."

"Uh, okay, you, uh, get your leg fixed."

" _You okay? You sound-_ " _Click!_ Heatwave hung up on First Aid. He ran to Kade, who appeared to have vomited.

"Kade, we need to get Jackie to the hospital!"

"Fine," Kade said. Then he noticed the blood. "Oh, boy. Quick, get in your alt. mode!"

Heatwave transformed and Kade put Jackie in the back seat, minding her head.

"Okay," Kade said bucking in, "Let's go."

Heatwave drove as fast he could to the hospital.

xxx

Cody finished his math homework and took the fire pole down to the garage. He walked over to Blades and Frankie, who were playing a dancing game.

"Wow, Blades," Dani said as she watched, "you're really good at this game."

"Hey, Frankie," Cody said, "do you want to go to the Hall of Inspiration with me?"

"Not now, Cody," Frankie said, "Maybe after platform 12."

"Oh," Cody said disappointed, "okay." He walked over to Heatwave and Chase, who were playing a strategy game.

"Swordsman takes your flank," Heatwave said, moving a blue circle over a magenta circle on a green grid. The magenta circle disappeared.

"And archer takes your swordsman," Chase said, moving a magenta circle over the blue circle, which disappeared.

"What are you guys playing?" Cody asked.

"The Cybertronian name is untranslatable," Chase said.

"'Chase Always Wins' is a close second!" Heatwave, who was a bit angry, said.

"Can I play?" Cody asked.

"The game is currently set for two players," Chase said.

"Oh," Cody said, again disappointed, "I'll see what Boulder and Doc Greene are up to."

"Okay," Heatwave said to Chase, "beat _this_ move!"

Chase beat him.

xxx

Cody was walking to Boulder and Doc Greene when...

"Hey," a female voice with a slight Japanese accent said. Cody looked in the direction of the voice. He saw a girl, around Jackie's age of Japanese descent, with pink highlights, a dark purple tee, shorts and purple leggings, and a pink cell phone in her hand. "Do you know where the..." She looked at a text on her phone, "Griffin Rock Hospital is?"

"Who are you and how did you get in?" Cody immediately asked.

"I'm Miko, Jackie's friend," the teen said. "Ratchet said I could come if I behave myself."

"Oh," Cody said, "I would tell you where the hospital is... but I keep forgetting"

"That's okay," Miko said, "Do you thi-"

"GANGWAY!" K-9 screamed.

Cody and Miko jumped out of the way

 _CRASH!_

 _xxx_

Two minutes earlier...

"Okay," Brains said, holding a pencil and paper, "let's see how you do in your transmetal mode." Brains looked at Wheelie, who had a camera. "Camera ready?"

"Yep," Wheelie said, "I'm so gonna win the bet."

"What bet?"

"To see if I wipe out," K-9 said, "which I will not!"

"We'll see about that!' Wheelie said pressing "record."

"Let's just do the test..." Brains said.

K-9 activated his transmetal mode. His transmetal mode's base color was a blue a few shades lighter than Chase, and had white mid-leg down on the front ones and knee down on the back ones, and had two white rocket things on his hips.

"Ready," Brains said. K-9 got into position. "... set..." K-9's rockets started. "GO!"

K-9 zoomed off, dashing through the obstacles that Wheelie and Brains set up. _I so won't have to wear that costume!_ he thought. Then he felt his hindquarters getting ahead of him. _Uh-oh._ "GANGWAY!" he yelled. The next thing he knew, there was a bucket stuck on his head.

xxx

Chroma was calmly reading an eBook when she heard a crash. She went to investigate and discovered that K-9 had failed at using his transmetal mode, again.

Cody and Miko were trying to get the bucket off K-9's head while Wheelie laughed and Brains looked at the video footage to see what went wrong this time.

Chroma got the bucket off K-9's head.

xxx

Cody and Miko went over to where Boulder and Doc Greene were. They appeared to be working on some inventions.

"What are you guys doing?" Cody asked.

"And what the heck is on your head?" Miko asked, looking at the thing on Doc Greene's head.

"It's an inspiration counter," Doc explained. "So far, I've had," the number 43 appeared on the screen, "43 inspirations, 44 if you count the inspiration counter."

"And these are energizers," Boulder said, answering Cody's question. "We R and D'd them," he turned on his energizer (it looked like a drill), but it shorted out and smoke came out of it, "... too much D."

"What the-" Miko said. then she gasped as she picked up an item that looked like a fancy Lightsaber handle, "is this a Lightsaber?"

"Of sorts," Doc said. "It has three functions: Lightsaber," he turned a dial, like on some flashlights and an energon blue light formed from the hilt, resulting in a Lightsaber light, "lasso," the light turned into a lasso, "and Taser." the light receded and two prong things came out and some electricity sparkled between them.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say Jackie was talking about Star Wars, rodeos, and tasing people."

"Yes."

"I don't think she'll ever stop talking," Boulder said.

"She's just trying to socialize," Miko explained.

Cody noticed something on the table that resembled a lava lamp. "What's this?" he asked as he picked it up.

"It's a vacuum accelerator," Doc explained. "It can teleport items. Would you like to see how it works?"

"Yeah."

"Let me put my cellphone on record," Miko said as she pushed a button on her phone.

They walked over to Kade, who was working on the MHQ.

"Try it now, Dad," Kade said. The engine sputtered. "Ugh! I'm never letting Heatwave drive this thing again!"

Doc put the vacuum accelerator in Kade's tool box and pressed a button on the remote he held in his hand and the tool box teleported.

xxx

Ratchet had finished First Aid's leg and was washing his servos when...

 _BONK!_

"Ow!" Ratchet exclaimed when something hit him on the helm. He caught the item in his servo and looked at it. It was a tool box, but with an odd tool that resembled a lava lamp. "Who threw this?!" Ratchet said as he looked around. "Well I'm keeping it." he muttered when no one answered. He places the tool box in his subspace.

xxx

Kade went to get something from his tool box, but it was gone.

"Hey," Kade said, "who took my tool box?"

Cody, Doc, and Miko laughed.

"Give me back my tool box you guys!"

Cody took a half step back.

"Relax, dude," Miko said, "we'll give it back."

Doc pushed the button again. Nothing happened.

xxx

"Whoa!" Ratchet yelled as his body teleported from outside of the med bay to... the _**moon.**_ "What the ..." Ratchet wondered as he took the tool box out of his subspace and looked at the odd tool. "Must be a teleporter of some kind."

xxx

"That's odd," Doc said pressing the button a few more times, "it worked on the previous tests. Something must be tampering with the return."

"Don't you know where it is?" Cody asked.

"Not exactly."

"Cody," Graham said as he came out of the MHQ, "come check this out."

Cody and Miko walked into the MHQ.

"It's a mobile command center," Graham explained, "like the one in the firehouse."

"Cool," Miko said snapping a picture.

"Noble," Cody said as he sat in the seat.

The emergency line went off.

"Griffin Rock Emergency," Cody said as he answered it.

"Some guy's stuck on the lighthouse." the caller said.

Cody pressed a few buttons and the lighthouse appeared on the monitor- and a parasailer was stuck on the top of it!

"What the-?!" Miko mouthed.

"We see you Mr. Whitaker," Cody said, "I'll send help right away."

"Rescue Bots," Heatwave said, "roll to the rescue!"

The bots did that. Chroma would've gone with them, but she was looking for Ratchet, who had mysteriously disappeared.

xxx

The bots arrived at the scene and Dani had a feeling that she knew the rescuee.

"Oh, my gosh," Dani said, "it's Taylor! Remember, Blades, we helped him land his plane."

"What's with the sudden interest and how do you know his name?" Blades asked.

"I know all the pilots names on the island."

"Name two others."

"Can we focus on the rescue?"

Blades rolled his optics as he lowered his winch so Kade could get Taylor down.

xxx

"Dad," Frankie said, "I can't find the vacuum accelerator _anywhere_."

"You guys try finding Ratchet," Chroma said.

"Uh, I think a high tech prototype might be more important!"

"Well, excuse me, but I'm talking about one of the last Autobot medics on this stupid _dirt pile_!"

"Now isn't the time for arguing, guys," K-9 said (he was still at the firehouse because of the crash landing, so to speak.), "and has anyone thought that Ratchet found the vacuum whatever and put it in his subspace?"

"Yeah," Brains said, "I've been tracking Ratchet's signal and it's been popping up in every other place in the world."

"Say what?" Chroma said in shock."

xxx

Meanwhile, in the MHQ, an unconscious Ratchet teleported to the front of the vehicle where you couldn't really see him.

"You know what," Chroma said, "I'm going to the monitor room to see if I can-"

Then the MHQ teleported.

"Well," Chroma said with sarcasm, "this day keeps getting better."

xxx

" _Chief! Chief! Chief! Chief!_ "

"What, K-9?" Chief Burns said into the commlink.

" _We got good news and bad news_ ," K-9 said.

" _The good news_ ," Brains said, " _we found Ratchet and the teleporter._ "

" _The bad news_ ," Wheelie said, _"Ratchet probably put it in his subspace and teleported into the MHQ, where Cody and Miko are, and teleported the MHQ_."

"Where di-" Chief started before Chroma cut him off.

" _I'm trying to find them!"_ Chroma called. " _They have their cell phones, right_?"

" _Chroma!_ " a female voice said through the inter comm.

" _What now?"_

 _"Jackie ran out of the hospital,_ " the voice was Lindsy, " _I think she's transmutating!"_

 _"Chief, we're gonna look for Jackie."_ Chroma hung up.

xxx

Cody was climbing down from the MHQ's MCC when his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID. It was Doc Greene.

"Hi, Doc Greene," Cody said.

" _Cody, do you know where you are?_ " Doc said with worry.

"In the MHQ at the firehou-"Cody was cut off when he heard Miko gasp and swore something in Japanese. He ran over to the wind a saw that the MHQ was in the middle of the river. "Make that the river."

" _Daddy says the vacuum accelerator has an emergency reboot button on its side_ ," Frankie said.

"The what?" a male voice said.

Cody and Miko looked behind them and saw Ratchet. Miko held out her hand and had the give-it-or-else look ok her face. It took Ratchet a few seconds to realize what they needed and gave them Kade's tool box. Cody took the teleporter and pressed the red button. Nothing happened.

"It's not working," he said.

" _Don't worry you two. we're on our way,_ " Doc said, " _In the meantime, think buoyant thoughts!_ "

xxx

" _Ughhh!_ " Jackie groaned as she struggled not to transmutate. _I feel like the dude in An American Werewolf in London!_

CRRA-ACK!

Her bones began to morph. Jackie said a few words she heard in school, the kind you don't say in front of your parents.

 _RI-IP!_

"D'aw, not again!"

xxx

"You're where?! Chief exclaimed, "Don't worry, we'll be right there." He turned to the Bots. "Cody, Miko, and Ratchet are in the MHQ, which teleported into the river."

"Feel free to take Heatwave, Kade said halfway up to Taylor, "it's not like his doing anything."

"You do know we're on the same comm." Heatwave growled.

xxx

"You sure this is a good idea, Brains?" Chroma whispered.

"Uh, yeah," Brains whispered back. "Have I ever had a bad idea?"

"People are staring at us!" Chroma whisper shouted at Brains.

Who could blame her for being mad? You'd be mad too if you were in you motorcycle mode with two minibots on your seat-thing, or saddle or whatever, and a German Shepherd with a pilot's hat with socks for the ears in the side car, and you were driving through town!

K-9 looked up.

"What is it Lassie?" Wheelie joked. "Did Timmy fall down a well?"

"He probably just heard something," Brains said, "like a parrot or something."

On the opposite side of the road' a green animal control truck (minus the bed cover) drove by, stopped, and backed up. The driver rolled down the window.

"What are you guys doing?" Lindsy, the driver, asked.

"Looking for Jackie," Wheelie said.

"On a _police motorcycle_?"

"All Brain's idea!"

"Well, I was thrown under the bus quickly," Brains sarcastically said.

"In the truck, _now_ ," Lindsy said.

The two mini bots and K-9 got in the truck.

"Aren't you gonna tell-" Wheelie started before Lindsy picked Chroma up and put her in the truck's bed, as if she weighed as much as an average bike, and strapped her in. "Dang, you're strong!"

"C'mon," Lindsy said as she climbed in the cab, "I picked up Jackie's transmutate energy levels somewhere in the forest." She pointed to the screen on the dashboard" "See how high they are?"

"We'd better find her before someone else does!" Brains said.

"Man, she's gonna crankier than Godzilla during PMS!" Wheelie said.

"Okay, 1: Godzilla's a male, and 2: he's a _reptile_ ," Lindsy said.

"I thought we weren't gendering characters from their voice actors."

"Anyone, male or female, can wear a Godzilla costume."

"Here we go again," Chroma said in annoyance.

xxx

The three Rescue Bots, two Burnses, and Greenes arrived at the river. Boulder and Chase let their human partners so they could rescue Cody, Miko, and Ratchet. The three bots went into the river and under the water to prevent the MHQ from sinking any further and resurfaced. Chase and Heatwave opened the back.

"Cody, Miko, climb towards us!" Heatwave said.

Cody and Miko slowly walked towards Heatwave and Chase when the vacuum accelerator started up and teleported the MHQ, four bots, and two humans to the nose of Mount Griffin, hanging on for dear life!

"Not good!" Cody said.

"Scrap!" Miko exclaimed.

"AAAAHHH!" Ratchet screamed.

xxx

Jackie, who had morphed into a dragon the size of a small elephant, was sniffing a young fawn who was also sniffing her.

 _"You went from human to beast from a head injury?"_ the mother asked.

Jackie made a noise that said "yes."

 _"Did it hurt?"_

Jackie nodded her head _._

"AAAAHHH!"

The three jumped in surprise.

Jackie didn't know what noise and movements to say "I gotta go," so she tried by using a method she used in human form. Gently, she put one talon on the mother's head and closed her eyes. She then left, trying to fly.

xxx

"On the bright side," Boulder said, "I don't think anyone else has seen a view like this!"

"We're gonna die!" Ratchet and Miko screamed.

"No we're not!" Heatwave screamed back.

The MHQ tipped forwards (the front of it) causing Cody and Miko to be thrown to the front. Cody caught the back of the large driver's seat and Ratchet caught Miko and held her against his chest.

Cody gasped as the vacuum accelerator slid to the open back. Heatwave caught it.

"There are times when I wish gravity was not a law," Chase said.

"What're de adder tms?" something yelled at Chase.

Everyone looked in surprise at a blue dragon hovering 50 yards away.

"You guys see the blue dragon too?" Heatwave asked.

"Yes." the others said in unison.

 _"Guys,"_ Lindsy said over the comm. _"Jackie's transmutate levels show that she's near Mt. Griffin."_

"She transmutated into a dragon, right?" Heatwave dryly asked.

 _"Probably, why do you- You're stuck on Mt Griffin, aren't you?"_

"Kind of..."

"'Kind of?!" Ratchet shouted, "We're balancing on-on part of the mountain!"

Jackie used a claw to tap her nose, trying to tell Ratchet exactly where.

 _"You know,"_ Lindsy said, _"I'm gonna set up this drone I won in a contest so I can find out exactly where you guys are."_

" _JACKIE, TRY AND HELP THE RESCUE BOTS!_ "

K-9 yelled into his comm.

"Gnya-ah!" Heatwave exclaimed, almost losing his grip. "Loud!"

 _"Sorry, Heatwave."_

"Jackie, what are you doing?!" Chase screamed as Jackie began to rip him off the back-door ramp.

 _Helping you, ya stuck up, cop-bot!_ Jackie thought to herself as she held Chase as tightly as she could.

"Don't drop him, don't drop him, don't drop him!" Heatwave yelled frantically, not knowing that Jackie was trying to help.

Everyone was freaking out when Jackie let go of Chase and used her mouth to grab his foot. Chase started to have a panic attack when she stared swinging him back and forth.

"N-no, no, no, no, no, no!" Chase screamed. He felt Jackie's bite loosen a bit, but she bit down a little harder. "Please, don't kill me!"

 _I'm not, ya big baby!_ Jackie wanted to tell Chase. She swung her head and most of her body back- _Hope these two and a half weeks of Wii bowling and swing paid off, because I only got one shot at this_ \- and let go of Chase as she swung forward.

 _FWAM!_

 _xxx_

"Chase!" Cody yelled.

"Uhh..." Chase moaned.

"Good, he's waking up," Miko said.

Chase's optics slowly opened. "What happened?"

"Jackie threw you a _little_ too hard," Miko said.

"Why are we on the ceiling?"

"What part of ' _little_ too hard' did you not understand?" Miko deadpanned.

"When Jackie threw you, you hit the windshield and caused the MHQ to lurch forward and the next thing we all knew, we were upside down on the back of Mt. Griffin," Cody said.

Chase tried to sit up, but his spine stung.

"Ah!" he exclaimed.

"Chase, you okay?" Heatwave said as he entered the MHQ.

"I think Jackie hurt my back," Chase said.

"Can you stand?"

"I can barely sit up, what makes you think I can stand?" Chase was getting a bit annoyed.

"At least your shirt didn't rip when you transmutated!" a young feminine voice said from Heatwave's cabin.

"Uh, yeah, turns out Jackie's clothes sometimes rip when she transmutates," Heatwave said while blushing a little, but no one noticed.

"You owe me a new shirt!"

"Okay, okay, I get it, you're pissed at me."

"I'm just lucky m-"

"Jackie, play your dino killing game!" Heatwave said.

"What happened to Boulder?" Chase asked.

"Crushed by the MHQ," Jackie answered, "Ratchet and Blades are fixing him up, then I'll help get the MHQ right-side-up"

"Jackie, is the MHQ hooked up?" Blades asked.

Dragon Jackie nodded her head.

"Okay, I'll j-just l-lift up the-whoa!" Blades exclaimed as Jackie accidentally pushed the MHQ as she took off flying towards the firehouse.

"Blades, slow down!" Dani said as they descended way to fast.

"Never thought I'd hear you say that!"

The vacuum accelerator started to power up.

Everyone closed their eyes and braced for impact.

 _THUMP!_

Miko was the first to open her eyes. "We're not dead guys." She said with a sigh of relief.

The back of the MHQ opened and relieved the they were at the drive in.

"This stupid teleporter is more trouble than it's worth!" Heatwave said as he threw it.

"I'll escort Boulder and Chase to the firehouse," Ratchet said.

"Ratchet, my injury isn't that ba-" _CRAK!_ "-A-ad!" Chase exclaimed.

Ratchet gave him a "yeah, right" look. "Can either of you transform?" he asked.

"I-I think so," Boulder said a bit out of breath.

"Me too- Gah! - nope," Chase sadly said.

"I'll come back for you later," Ratchet said. "C'mon, Boulder," Ratchet said as he transformed, "we don't have all day."

"I don't think he likes us," Blades said.

"He's just grumpy," Dani said, "I think."

"Guys," Miko said, " Jackie says there's an intruder in the firehouse!"

Heatwave rolled his optics.

Miko's phone pinged as she got another text. "She also says we can find Kade and the parasailer by using the MHQ to triangulate where they are and using the ground ridge in a bottle to teleport there."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Heatwave said.

"She's been reading about the Philadelphia Experiment again," Chase added.

"I think she might be right, about how we can find Kade and _Tayylor,_ " Blades said while looking teasingly at Dani.

" _Don't_ push it!" Dani said.

"Look, the ground bridge in a bottle is obviously the vacuum accelerator and Jackie could've been talking about the MHQ's GPS."

"You could be right," Heatwave said, "Kade was using the MHQ for playing his date with Hayley."

"Wow, you actually listen to him," Blades said in surprise.

" _Don't_ tell him!"

"Well," Miko said, "we have _one_ of the _two_ things."

Everyone looked at Heatwave.

"Eh-heh-heh, _right_ ," Heatwave said as he face-palmed.

xxx

"Lindsy, are you really taking Jackie's text seriously?" Chroma asked.

"Uh, yeah," Lindsy answered, "I mean it's really only a matter of time 'til..."

"A 'con finds us," K-9 finished.

"C'mon," Chroma said, "what 'con in the right mind would come here? They'd get scraped by one of those crazy inventions!"

K-9's ears perked up. "Jackie and First Aid are in **_deep_** trouble," he said very scared.

"What'd you think it is _Lassie_?"

"I-I don't know. I just have this feeling, like a Beast Sense."

"Thought I saw Fowler's chopper land on the firehouse," Brains said.

"Please tell me it was black," Lindsy nervously asked.

"Black and orange or red," Brains said, "I couldn't recall tell because _somebot_ " (he glared at Wheelie) "decided to make the drone spin faster than a NASCAR tire!"

"What, it was funny." Wheelie said.

"I'm still dizzy, man!"

xxx

The three Rescue Bots and three humans were looking for the vacuum accelerator.

"How far did you throw it?" Blades asked Heatwave.

"Hey, no one complained when I was lobbing champ three years running!" Heatwave shot back.

"What's 'lobbing'?" Cody asked.

"It's a popular sport on Cybertron," Miko explained.

"How'd you know that?" Heatwave asked Miko in surprise.

"One of the bots back at base told us."

They all turned when they saw Doc Greene's Jeep show up.

"You won't believe what hit my windshield!" Doc said as he showed them the vacuum accelerator.

"Dang, Heatwave you have a good throwing arm!" Miko said.

"Cody," Chief Burns said as he ran to his son, "you're all right."

Cody hugged his dad.

"Where's Boulder?" Graham asked.

"The Doc Bot took him back to the firehouse," Miko answered.

"What happened?"

"Jackie happened," Chase said as he rubbed his aching back.

"Speaking of which," Chief said as he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, "anyone care to explain _this_?" He showed them some footage of a blue dragon ripping open the helicopter landing pad and squeezing in.

"She thinks there's an intruder in the firehouse," Miko explained.

"How am I gonna explain this to the neighbors?" Chief muttered.

"She figured out how to find Kade and _Tayyloor_ ," Blades said, again, looking teasingly at Dani, who growled at him, "Jackie figured it out."

"With her intelligence?" Frankie said unbelievingly, "I don't think so. Have you guys even been listening to her?"

"I hear that she's been getting good grades," Miko said as she crossed her arms.

"Why don't I see Jackie's text?" Graham asked. Miko handed him her phone. "Yeah, I don't get it." he said after looking at the script.

"Don't worry, I figured it out," Blades said. He explained Jackie's idea.

"That should work," Doc said.

"Woah, whoa, whoa!" Frankie said, "we're not really using Jackie's plan, are we?!"

"You got a better idea?" Miko said as she put her hands on her hips.

"No," Frankie said with a sigh.

xxx

Ratchet was opening one of the firehouse's garage doors so he and Boulder could get in when he heard something breaking. "Looks like Jackie's here," he muttered. "All right, Boulder," he said as he helped Boulder stand up, "let's get you to the med bay."

As they took the platform down to the shouting bunker when they heard an unfamiliar voice shouting something in Cybertronian.

"Uh, is anyone there?" Ratchet asked as he walked towards the med bay.

 _KEW! KEW! THUMP! THUMP!  
_

 _xxx_

"Everyone strapped in?" Chief asked.

Everyone confirmed.

"All right then," Miko said, "let's rescue the jerk!"

Cody, Frankie, and Doc looked at her.

"That's what Jackie would say. Heh heh."

Cody pushed the button on the vacuum accelerator and they teleported to the coordinates.

Kade and Taylor, the guy that was stuck on the light house, were trapped up a tree with a bear below them.

Heatwave stepped on the MHQ's gas pedal and drove very close to the bear to scare it off. That didn't work so he tried again, but the engine died, so he honked to horn. Again, didn't work. He ran out of the MHQ so he could try scaring it off again.

The bear roared at him.

Just as he was gonna scream at it (That was his plan), a red blur landed between them and let out the weirdest screech he ever heard. The bear ran off whimpering.

The blur was a dragon.

Heatwave instantly grabbed its mouth shut and put and arm around its middle so it couldn't fly away.

The Burnses went to help Kade and Taylor.

Heatwave dragged the dragon behind the MHQ.

"Chase, help me hold him down while Blades ties him up!" he whispered.

Blades groaned.

"That's another transmutate!" Miko whisper-snapped.

"I feel like fight or flight," the dragon said muffled.

Heatwave quickly released it.

xxx

After about three tries, the MHQ teleported to the basketball court on the firehouse property.

"Um, Taylor, would you like a ride home?" Dani asked.

"No thanks, I'll take the bus," Taylor said. He handed her a paper.

"What is it?" Miko asked.

"His number," Dani said all dreamy eyed.

The red dragon transmutate, who turned out to be a 29-year-old female, asked, "So you think you'll have sexual relations with him?"

"And the moment's ruined."

A chuffing sound came from the firehouse.

"What the?" Heatwave, followed by Blades, Chase, the transmutate, and the humans, went to investigate. When they got to the bunker, the found Ratchet and Boulder lying on the floor, unconscious.

"Oh, my gosh!" Lindsy, who just came from the tunnels, said as she got out of her truck.

"I'll contact Prime!" Chroma said as she transformed.

"I'll contact a medic," the adult transmutate said as she got her cell out.

xxx

"It's a miracle they all lived," the medic, Red Alert, said, "especially the transmutate."

"Hoverer," Jackie said.

"Huh?" Frankie said.

"She means it was probably a bot whose alt. mode was a helicopter," Joyce, the older transmutate, said.

"I'll take Jackie back to the hospital," Lindsy said as she handed Jackie a shirt.

xxx

It was around 10 p.m. when First Aid woke up.

 _I'm back in the med bay?_ He thought. He remembered a bot trying to kidnap him and a blue blur before he blacked out. He saw Heatwave recharging in the corner. "Heatwave?"

Heatwave woke up and ran to his side. "You okay? Need anything?"

"Is Jackie okay?" he knew the blur was Jackie.

"She's fine." Heatwave said. "You?"

"A little tired."

"Well having a passed-out dragon on top of you will do that..." Heatwave joked.

"Whaa..." First Aid stared to say before he blacked out again.

xxx

"I send you to kidnap an immobile bot and you _fail_ _!?_ " a shadowed hover yelled at a black and red-orange one.

"I-it's not my fault he woke up!" the black and red-orange one said. "Give me another chance!"

The shadowed one glared at him with dark green optics. "Take him to the chamber."

Two dark grey hovers grabbed the Halloween colored bot and dragged him away screaming.


	9. Sky Forest

"When the apple is ripe, give it a gentle twist, and it'll fall right into your hand," Chief Burns said to Chase and Chroma as he demonstrated. He took a bite of the apple. "Mm-mm!"

"I'll obtain the apples on the higher branches for you, sir," Chase said as he stood up. He tried to mimic what Chief did, but the apple squished between his fingers. Chroma tried not to laugh.

"Don't worry," Cody said, "applesauce is good, too."

Suddenly, they all heard a horse's whinny and a goat's bleat. Abby had gotten loose. Again. But this time she brought a goat with her. Abby stopped by a tree and the goat jumped on her back and put its front hooves on the trunk as it nibbled on an apple stem. The apple fell and Abby ate it as the goat nibbled on another stem.

"Careful, Abby," Joyce said, "Don't choke!"

A hover picker appeared and spooked Abby. Abby ran behind Chase to hide.

"When did we get a hover picker, Dad?" Cody asked.

"It's news to me, son." Chief said.

The hover picker was doing a good job until some apples fell on it. The hover picker made an R2-D2-like noise as it went haywire. It started picking objects that looked like apples to it.

"Dani, Graham," Chief said into the comm. "there's a hover picker on the loose!"

" _Just another day in Griffin Rock._ " Graham said.

" _Be there in a jiff!_ " Dani said.

xxx

The hover picker tried to pick another "apple," which was a lever ball-thing on a dump truck, and broke it off.

Graham and Boulder had the misfortune of being behind said truck as it dumped its load, unbeknownst to the driver.

"Ugh! Fertilizer!" Graham said as the fertilizer splashed onto Boulder's windows.

"Don't worry guys," Dani said as she and Blades flew overhead, "We got this covered."

xxx

Mr. Apler was about to hand a young boy his balloons back when something lifted him and the balloons up. The balloons popped and he fell. Luckily, Kade and Heatwave showed up just in time to catch him. Blades and Dani scoop-clawed the hover picker.

"My hover picker better not be damaged!" a stubborn brat in purple shouted.

"Priscilla, this is your invention?" Chief asked.

"It's my entry for the Youth Invention Competition, hosted by our family friend, Mayor Lusky," Priscilla said.

"You're entering it, too?" Jackie asked.

Priscilla screamed in surprise.

"What are you, a ninja?!"

"Have you seen Abby, Bella, and, Olivia?"

" _Abby and a goat are at the orchard,_ " Joyce said through the comm.

"Two down, one to go," Jackie said as she left.

"Wait, _you're_ entering the competition?" Priscilla asked.

"Yep."

"What's your invention?"

"It's big."

"How big?" Chief asked.

"I have to get Abby and my goats."

"It better not be-"

"No blazing saddles!" Jackie activated her transmute mode and flew off to the orchard.

"It's the other way!" Cody shouted.

"Thanks, dude!" Jackie zoomed past them.

"That is _so_ weird," Priscilla said.

"You get used to it," Cody said.

"Cody, have you and Frankie even started on your entry?"

"It's gonna be the best one yet!"

xxx

"We don't have any ideas!" Cody almost screamed.

"And this is after three weeks of trying to brainstorm ideas with you," Frankie said.

"Okay, okay, we just need to- ugh! What the heck is that smell?!"

Everyone looked at Boulder.

"You won't believe what that fertilizer was made of!" Boulder said.

Heatwave sprayed Boulder with water to get the fertilizer off him.

"Thanks, Heatwave."

"Why don't you two try to do something that will help people and the planet?" First Aid said to Cody and Frankie.

"I got an idea!" Cody said as he picked up an iPad. "We could make a suit that'll spray water in all directions so that firefighters can rescue people!" Cody showed them the image.

" _Or,_ " Frankie said as she snatched the iPad from Cody, "we could create a multi-level self-sustaining tropical ecosystem that will be in urban areas." She showed them her idea.

Cody and Frankie stared to argue over whose idea to enter.

"They're both good ideas," Boulder said, "Why not enter them both?"

Cody and Frankie looked at each other.

"May the best invention win." Frankie said.

"Mmbaa!" a goat ran past them.

"I guess we found Olivia," Cody said.

"I'll get her!" K-9 said as he chased the goat.

xxx

Chief and Chase were on patrol when they noticed a man who appeared to be lost.

"You lost, sir?" Chief asked.

"Um, I'm actually from the USDA," the man said, "I'm trying to find this young lady named Jacqueline M."

"Well, she's in school right now. She'll be out in an hour and a half."

 _Beep beep beep!_

"Emergency dispatch." Chief said.

 _"Um, I don't know if you guys ever got a call like this, but the school flock is gone."_ an FFA student said.

"How many chickens are missing?"

 _"Dude, I'm talking about sheep, nine ewes, one ram... The ewes are pregnant."_

"I'll alert the others and animal control." Chief turned to the man from the USDA. _"_ We'll fix this real soon."

 _Beep beep beep!_

"Emergency dis-"

 _"Charles, there's a sheep in my kitchen and I think it's having a baby!"_ Mrs. Neederlander screeched.

"Be right there."

The USDA man got into Chase's passenger seat. "You're gonna need someone with a vet license for this one," the man showed Chief his vet license.

"Team," Chief said through the comm., "the school's sheep got loose and we have to find them."

 _"Did Abby let them out?"_ Kade asked.

 _"Possibly,"_ Joyce said, " _she's a very smart Quarter."_

"Does Jackie know?"

Graham asked.

 _"The mayor's being chased by the ram."_ Dani said.

 _Bwoop._

Chief looked at the text on his phone. [If the sheep are in the park, they'll be fine. Lindsy's on the mainland for a doctor's thing.]

xxx

Jackie got her Agsaber out of her locker. When her history teacher saw her texting, she told him about the sheep and a classmate offered to let her copy her notes when she came back.

"Only got 30 minutes!"

K-9 was flirting with a female Border Collie when Jackie put his leash on.

 _"I was gonna score!" _ he grumbled.

Jackie looked at the Collie.

"C'mon, girl." she said.

"Yus!" K-9 said aloud.

xxx

"C'mon, Abby!" Kade said as he pulled on Abby's lead rope. "Quit eatin' the roses!"

Guess who decided to snack on the public garden's plants.

"Feel free to help any time, Heatwave!" Kade grunted.

"And ruin all the fun? Not a chance!" Heatwave said with a laugh.

"C'mon, girl, what do I have to do to get you to listen, give you a ride in the fire truck?!"

Abby stopped eating the roses. She ran to Heatwave.

"Ow!" Kade exclaimed as he got rope burn.

"Kade, I'm gonna kill you!" Heatwave almost yelled.

Kade looked and laughed when he saw Abby looking at him from the back seat.

"Abigail!" Jackie scolded. "You know you can't ride in cars, only horse trailers!"

Abby rolled her eyes.

xxx

The livestock and Abby were put back into the school barn and pasture. Brains showed security footage of Abby opening her stall and letting the sheep out. No charges were filed.

The USDA man examined Jackie's and Priscilla's inventions and gave them the okay to enter them in the competition.

xxx

"It is with great honor that I announce this year's Youth Invention Competition—do'h!" Mayor Lusky was sprayed with water from Cody's invention, which had a few glitches. "This year's winner is...Francine Greene!"

Frankie was very happy as she got her medal.

Priscilla was second, Jackie was third, and Cody was fourth.

Huxley was interviewing Frankie.

"The 'Bro Code's' broken!" Blades whispered to Boulder.

 _"_ _Do you think we got third because I made a mess on the stage? "_Abby asked Jackie.

"Nah," Jackie said as she checked the clip-on horse shoes on Abby's hooves, "but at least my large pet pooper scooper works!"

Cody walked by Jackie.

"Hey, dude," Jackie said, "you want to go to Ice Scream?"

"Whatever," Cody muttered.

"They're gonna show Spaceballs. It's a Mel Brooks film!"

"That's not a horror movie," Cody retorted.

"There's a singing chestburster, that's Aliens franchise.

"All right," Cody muttered.

Abby tapped Jackie's shoulder with her head.

"Oh, crap!" Jackie started to take off Abby's saddle as smoke came from it. "No blazing saddles!"

xxx

Jackie and Cody were eating hot fudge Sundays while Abby and K-9 were eating vanilla as the watched Spaceballs at Ice Scream.

"Hey, Jackie," a student said.

 _"Brett,"_ Jackie muttered.

"So, what did you enter?"

Jackie was trying to ignore him.

"You gonna say something?"

Jackie turned her head in Brett's direction. "Go. Away."

"Was it that giant pooper scooper?"

"You get Satan spayed?"

"Ohh!" K-9 and Abby kind of said.

"Uh, Jackie, isn't this the part you were talking about?" Cody quickly asked.

Jackie looked at the screen. "Yep, the guy's having a chestburster."

Abby moved her head between Jackie and Brett.

Everyone burst out laughing when the Chestburster stared singing.

"[Check please!]" the two protagonists said.

xxx

"Ugh!" Cody exclaimed.

Voice mail. Again.

"'Sup, Cody?" K-9 asked as he walked into Cody's room.

Cody grabbed K-9 by the collar and walked him out of his room before shutting the door.

 _Some friend Frankie is!_ Cody thought to himself. _She isn't even calling back or anything!_

"K-9, maximize!" he heard from the other side of the door.

Cody grumbled as he pulled a pillow over his head.

K-9 opened Cody's door.

"Ever seen my bipedal mode?" K-9 asked.

Cody took the pillow off his head. "Wow."

K-9 was 5' 5", had a dog/human face (BW Silverbolt), anime-like copper eyes, his beast mode head on his chest, and his paws were his hands and feet.

"Cool, right?"

"I-I thought it was weird when you talked!"

"You do realize that Frankie's just busy right now, which is why you two aren't hanging right now?" K-9 said as he leaned against the door frame.

"Well, she should at _least_ call back or something.!"

"Hey, once the Sky Forest is done you guys can be besties again."

"I guess you're right."

K-9's dog-like ears on his head twitched and his nose sniffed. "Kade's got ribeye steak!" he shouted as he ran down the hallway.

"GYAAAHHHHHH!" Kade screamed.

 _BWAMPF!_

"Owch! Kade, that hurt!"

"K-9?!"

xxx

First Aid was lying on the couch in the bunker watching the news from the mainland.

"Prescott can make a more believable story than that," he muttered.

"Hey, First Aid," Heatwave said as he put a hand on First Aid's Shoulder, "You need anything?"

"No."

"What about a blanket?"

" _No._ "

"Does your ankle still hurt?"

"I would have told you if it did."

"You sure you don't need anything?"

"Get outta here!" First Aid hit Heatwave with a pillow.

"Someone's moody..." Heatwave grumbled.

First Aid continued to watch the news and fell asleep.

xxx

Heatwave came back to the bunker after the Rescue Bots dealt with a small fire at the campgrounds and saw First Aid sleeping on the couch having another nightmare, but not as bad as before.

"First Aid," Heatwave gently shook him, "are you okay."

First Aid shuttered.

"Let's get you to your berth," Heatwave sighed as he picked up First Aid.

xxx

Everyone was in the middle of town. The Sky Forest was being built today.

Cody sighed when he saw Frankie being interviewed by Prescott.

K-9 knew Cody was sad and licked his hand.

"Hey, dudes!" Jackie said as she walked Abby over to the Burnses.

"Hey, Jackie," Dani said.

"Hi," Kade mumbled.

"How's the Automatic Rope going?" Graham asked.

Jackie held out her left arm. The rope was cutting off blood flow.

"It won't undo," she said.

"I'll get the scissors," Dani said.

"I got a saddle bag!" Jackie said as she showed them a leather bag with a western saddle design.

Chroma tried very hard not to laugh.

Jackie, Abby, and K-9 started looking at the sky as the sound of helicopters came into hearing range.

The platforms were arriving.

The three mammals looked at one helicopter.

K-9 suddenly whimpered and nudged Cody's hand.

Cody took out his Lad Pioneer binoculars and saw why K-9 was distressed.

"One of the wires is braking!"

"That's our cue," Heatwave said, "Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue!"

The Rescue Bots caught the platform. Then they saw a blue dragon holding one end with her teeth.

 _Scrap!_ Heatwave thought.

"Jackie, I think the Rescue Bots got this one!" Melissa, Jackie's bio classmate, said.

Jackie let go of the platform, which now had slobber on it.

xxx

The Sky Forest was now put together and the crowd's attention was split two ways between Frankie and Jackie.

"... and in 10 years the forest will be fully grown!" Frankie said to Prescott.

"10 years?!" Mayor Luskey exclaimed. "How are we supposed to get tourists!?"

"There's always Jackie," a 10th grader said.

"Uh, Jackie?" Mayor Luskey asked Jackie.

"I already have a job!" Jackie said as she got on her horse.

"You didn't let me ask the question!"

"I don't wanna be dissected!"

"Why would you think that?!"

"People still aren't used to my first transmutate mode."

xxx

The next morning when Cody woke up he looked out the window and saw the Sky Forest lush and green... when it wasn't yesterday!

Xxx

Jackie was braiding Abby's mane as they watched some recordings on TV in the farm house.

"Jackie, I got a call about two bovine making a baby in the road so I'll be back in ha- why is Abby in the house?" Lindsy asked.

"So I can braid her mane," Jackie said.

"You wipe your feet?" Lindsy asked Abby.

Abby nodded.

"Make sure that she doesn't make a mess," Lindsy said as she grabbed her keys.

xxx

"Why do you want to go into town?" Jackie asked Abby.

 _" You'll find out,"_Abby said.

 _ **HONK!**_

"AAAHHHHH!" Jackie and Abby screamed.

Jackie whipped her head around and saw a fire truck. Guess which finger Kade saw.

xxx

"Why do you always honk my horn around them?" Heatwave asked Kade.

"Because it's funny!" Kade jerkishly said.

"No wonder she wants to castrate you," Heatwave muttered.

"She wants to do WHAT to me?!" Kade said as one of his hands went down.

xxx

"Mayor Lusky, what did you do?" Chief asked.

"I used this fertilizer I found below the Hall of Inspiration," the mayor said.

"This fertilizer says it will cause aggressive growing!" Doc said.

"Should I get my goats because they'll eat just about anything edible," Jackie said.

"If you think it will help," Graham said.

"If you think this fertilizer is so bad, why didn't you lock it up?" Lusky asked.

xxx

"This isn't how I imagined the second day of my invention," Frankie said.

"It's pretty cool though," Cody said.

"I guess..."

"Race you to the top!" Cody said after an awkward silence.

"Eat my dust!"

"Cody's chasing Frankie!" Chase whisper shouted, "This cannot be good!"

"They're just racing each other," K-9 whispered.

"Back to being friends again?" Blades asked.

K-9 nodded his head.

xxx

Jackie dismounted Abby and walked over to the barn doors and stopped.

 _What is Wheelie up to?_ She thought as she opened the doors.

"I now dub you, Sir Eats Pants," Wheelie said as he "knighted" a goat.

"I need the goats," Jackie said.

"Don't tell anyone what you saw."

"Video the goats eating the Sky Forest and you got a deal."

xxx

"How many goats do you have?" Graham asked Jackie.

"15," Jackie said. "Abby, where you goin'?" She said as she looked at platform two.

"How's she going to get down?"

xxx

Cody and Frankie laughed as the reached platform five.

"Try to catch up!" Cody said.

"AAAHHHHH!" Frankie screamed as a vine picked her up.

"What the-!" Cody commed his dad. "Dad, one of the plants grabbed Frankie!"

 _"The mayor's gonna be in_ _ **so**_ _much trouble with the USDA!"_ Jackie said.

 _"Hang in there, Cody!"_ Kade said.

Cody let out a girly scream as a vine picked him up.

"Anyone think that Aubrey II had kid or that someone mutated kudzu?" Jackie said in her transmutate 1 mode as she arrived on scene and activated her Agsaber.

 _"What's 'kudzu'?"_ Blades asked as he and Dani also arrived.

xxx

Priscilla backed away from a giant Venus Flytrap and found herself surrounded by more.

Abby tried to put herself between the brat and the evil plants, but they were surrounded. Abby roared and reared and bucked and stomped her hooves in an attempt to scare off the carnivorous plants.

"Eekk!"

Chase got there just in time and used his laser to decapitate the plant that was about to eat Priscilla.

"Get to safety!" Chase said in his robot voice.

Priscilla ran down the stairs. Abby just stared at them.

"Are equines able to walk down stairs?" Chase asked.

"Unfortunately no," Chief said.

Chase went to pick Abby up when a Venus Flytrap bit his elbow. He grinded his denta as he tried not to scream.

Abby bit the plant's stem.

xxx

Graham and Boulder had cleared platform 4. Vines started to trap Boulder (Graham was in Boulder).

"I know I'm a 'tree hugger'," Boulder said as vines trapped him to a tree, "but not like this!"

xxx

Jackie and Blades freed Cody and Frankie.

"You guys get outta here!" Jackie said.

"Come with us, Jackie!" Cody said.

"I gotta go get Abby," Jackie started to take on her dragon form.

xxx

"What's going on?" First Aid asked Chroma.

"Well let's say I've seen this movie and it doesn't end very well for mankind."

"Let's go!" First Aid tried to run to the platform.

"Hold up!" Chroma said, "Ratchet said that you won't be fully healed for a few more days. I'll go."

After Chroma left First Aid looked down at his ankle.

"It's fine, Dad. You shouldn't worry," he muttered.

xxx

Chase tried to rip the Venus Flytrap off his right elbow and nearly screamed when acid burned through his armor. He felt tears on his cheeks.

"Ack!" The plant bit down harder.

Chase felt vines wrap around his waist. He couldn't handle the pain. He was about to activate the laser on his left wrist to burn off the plant when two more bit him, one on the left wrist, and the other on his right calf. He felt himself shaking. He was going into shock. He thought he was going to die.

"Chase!" Chroma called out. "Where are you?"

He tried to talk but only a squeak came out as he almost collapsed.

"Platform two!" Chief said via comm.

xxx

Jackie was in dragon form when she got there. She picked up her horse gently with her claws. She saw Chase going limp.

Chroma blasted a couple of plants away with her blaster as Jackie burned another off with blue fire.

Chase felt stinging in his elbow as Jackie licked his wound.

xxx

"Giddy up, Sir Eats Pants! Giddy up!" Wheelie said frantically as he tried to ride his goat away like a horse rider as the vines got closer.

xxx

"Hey guys," First Aid said as Dani, Cody, and Frankie got out of Blades.

"Can't talk right now!" Dani said as the three humans ran to the elevator.

 _"First Aid, contact Prime!"_ Chroma said, _"Chase needs medical treatment! He's in shock!"  
_  
"You don't think I didn't try that already?" First Aid snapped.

 _"Well, try again!"  
_  
First Aid shut off his comm. He began to take the brace off his ankle.

"Ratchet said not to do that!" Blades said as he transformed.

"My ankle's been fine for the past week," First Aid said, "it doesn't even hurt that much."

"Y-you don't have a human!"

"That didn't stop Chroma." First Aid got his medical kit.

xxx

"Jackie, quit punching Chase!" Chroma scolded.

Jackie punched the side of Chase's chest and his windshield popped open and Chief got out.

"Now all we need to know is where the dog is," Chroma muttered.

Jackie went back to licking Chase's elbow.

They heard ambulance sirens coming closer and a transforming noise, sirens still blaring.

Chroma looked and saw First Aid running towards them. "What are you doing?"

"My job," First Aid said as he took Chase's electro-pulse. "This isn't good," he went to look at Chase's optics when Chase suddenly stopped sharking. His optics were extremely dilated. "And he's in stasis lock."

"Coma," Jackie sort of said to Chief.

"Jackie," K-9 said when he got there, "When did you get all... metallic?"

"We got bigger problems!" First Aid said, "Brains, try to contact Team Prime again!"

"I'm gonna try the emergency channel this time," Brains said.

First Aid mentally face palmed as he quickly welded Chase's wounds.

xxx

Dani, Frankie, and Cody got out of Blades on platform five, armed with two water guns filled with salt water and Cody in his Sprinkler Suit.

"You guys better hurry!" Blades said as vines trapped him.

Frankie and Dani sprayed salt water on the fresh water plants and Cody made a b-line to the irrigation system to turn it off.

xxx

"Get outta here, Viney!" Lindsy said as she zapped away vines with her cattle prodder.

"MMOOO!"

CRUNK!

"I hope those bovines were insured," Joyce, who was enjoying a nice drive, said as she fire-breathed vines away.

"Oh, that reminds me, I have to insure the goats tomorrow!" Lindsy said.

xxx

Jackie used blue fire to scorch the evil plants away when they all went limp.

xxx

"Longest. 20 minutes. Of my life," Kade said as the little Lad Pioneers messed around.

xxx

Graham and Boulder both breathed a sigh of relief.

xxx

"Here's the cost of my Hover-Picker," Priscilla said to the mayor.

xxx

It was three hours after the ordeal and Chroma was leaning against a wall outside the med bay.

The med bay doors opened and Ratchet and First Aid walked out.

"Is Chase okay?" Chroma asked.

"He's in shock stasis," Ratchet said. "He should wake up in three days maximum."

"I'll let Chief Burns know," Chroma said.

Chroma on the outside seemed stoic, but on the inside, she was extremely worried for Chase.

When she walked into the bunker the Burnses immediately started asking her about Chase. She told them what Ratchet told her.

"Shock stasis?" Dani asked.

"It's common if a-"

Chroma cut Jackie off. "You're not good at explaining things, Jackie."

xxx

Boulder was repairing Chase's armor the next day.

"There!" he said as the removed armor cooled. "Now where did I put my car paint?" Boulder went to look for the paint.

xxx

First Aid was being very careful as he replaced the bandages on Chase's elbow.

"Annd, there's yellow gunk coming out of the wound." He said. He began to clean the wound.

As he cleaned it he noticed Chase had a pained look on his face. He got painkillers and injected them into his patient.

"Hey, First A- Holy! The heck's that smell?!" Blade said as he walked into the med bay.

"Why don't you come over and look?" First Aid offered.

"Eww!" Blades covered his mouth when he saw the yellow gunk. "He's infected!"

"That's why I'm giving him antibiotics," First Aid injected the antibiotics into Chase.

Blades saw a vial of medicine on the counter.

"You really have to clean up after you-" Blades' optics widened, "This is a super powerful painkiller!"

"Well, Chase's arm was twitching, so I gave it to him."

"How much?"

"40 Lu's." (Liquid Units)

"That's double the amount for battlefield amputations!"

First Aid stopped mid-bandaging. "It won't hurt him, will it?" he nervously asked.

"You might have prolonged his stasis," Blades said with a slightly shaky voice.

First Aid gulped and went back to bandaging.

xxx

"First Aid extended Chase's stasis?!" Dani asked very shocked.

"Why'd he do that?!" Kade also asked.

"He gave him a battlefield painkiller," Blades said, "it was an amateur mistake."

"He'll be okay, right?" Heatwave asked.

"First Aid's running a scan, it's a bit early to know."

xxx

3:30 a.m. Two days after the emergency.

Chroma was walking to the med bay to check on the cameras.

 _Wire replaced on mad bay cam one,_ he thought to herself. She turned to the med bay doors. _Now for the two in the med bay._

She opened the doors and walked in. She turned on her flashlight and her optics widened when she saw energon splattered on one of the walls and ceiling.

"Chase?" she said as she slowly checked the med bay, "Are you alright?"

She went into the surgery area and saw something move in the shadows.

She felt her spark beat faster as she investigated what she saw.

"Chase?"

She saw a figure trying to hide. She shone her light on the figure and felt relieved. It was only Chase.

"C'mon, Chase," she said as she extended her hand, "let's get you back to your med berth."

Chase didn't move.

"You okay?" she saw some energon leaking from his right arm. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Chase let Chroma look at his arm.

"You did, why don't we fix that."

She helped Chase up and repaired his arm.

Xxx

"Chase woke up last night?" Heatwave asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Chroma said, "but he's... different."

"Different how?"

"He seemed shy and paranoid."

"Sounds like when he was training to be a Rescue Bot at Rescue University of Iacon."

"His optics looked off, too."

"Ah, that painkiller must have really messed him up," Heatwave said as he sipped his energon.

"Behavioral change is one thing, but physical change is another."

Blades walked Chase into the galley.

"Alright, Chase," Blades said, "sit down."

Chase took a seat and looked at the bandages on his arm and started tugging at them.

"You'll rip the weld!" Blades almost yelled.

"Have some energon, Chase," Chroma said as she handed him his ration.

Chase looked at the energon and drank it while he watched Chroma exit the room.

xxx

Jackie yawned and stretched her wings. It took a couple of days, but she was almost back to normal.

She got out of bed and looked in the mirror.

"Sweet, I look like Maleficent!"

She did her normal weekend routine and went to feed the animals.


	10. New Human

Chief Burns poured coffee into his reusable travel mug and added Half & Half.

"I hope Chase is ready for his first day back on the job," he told K-9.

"Me too," K-9 said as he opened the tuber ware drawer.

"What are you doing, K-9?" Chief asked as he put the cap back on the Half & Half.

"Well, you're bringing your coffee with you," K-9 said as he transformed into his bipedal mode to pick up a container, "I think I should bring my breakfast with me, too."

"I guess you could, but we have to see if Chase is okay with it."

The phone stared to ring.

"Emergency dispatch," Chief said into the phone. "We'll check it out, Mr. Harrison."

"What happened this time?" K-9 asked as he put a scoop of dog food in the container.

"Mr. Harrison said that he saw a terrorist get off of the ferry," Chief said as he hung up the phone.

"Misinterpretation," K-9 said as he snapped on the container lid.

xxx

"Sir, you have no right to search my luggage without a search warrant," a 24 year old woman in a hijab said.

"I have a hard time believing that!" Deputy Barney said.

"How the heck did you become a police officer?!"

"What's going on here, Barney?" Chief said as he and K-9 walked in.

"I'm going through this terrorist's stuff to find a bomb!" Barney said.

"Oh, my _**God**_..." the woman groaned.

"Did you get a search warrant?" Chief asked.

"She's a _terrorist_ , isn't that enough?" Barney said.

"Racist much?" the woman crossed her arms.

"Barney, you do realize that you're violating her right of privacy, right?" Chief asked.

"Then what's _this!"_ Barney pulled out a black box, "I bet its a-"

It was a badge. A police badge.

"Can I _go_ now?" the woman asked.

Chief unlocked the cell door.

"Seriously, how'd he become a police officer?"

"No idea."

xxx

Heatwave and Chroma were training in the Sigma's storage.

"So, what are you into?" Heatwave asked Chroma.

"Fail videos, teen and up anime, crime shows, and kicking aft," Chroma said as she punched a dummy.

"I'm into war," Heatwave said.

"Hmm..." Chroma looked Heatwave up and down. "You know how to fight?"

"Heck, yeah."

"Well then, show me whatch'a got!" Chroma got into a fighting stance.

"I'll go eazy on ya!" Heatwave also got ready to fight. He lunged at Chroma.

FWAM!

"Too slow!" Chroma taunted as she pinned him with an arm behind his back.

Heatwave freed himself and shoved Chroma against a wall.

"Like I said, I was goin' easy on ya!"

"So was I!" Chroma kicked Heatwave in the face.

Heatwave growled and spit out a denta fragment as a slight stream of energon came from his olfactory sensors.

"We can quit if you want," Chroma said.

FWAM!

Chroma was now pinned against a wall by Heatwave, whose face was very close to hers.

"A warrior never quits!" he said.

She tried to headbutt him, but accidentally...

Smeck.

They were so physically close.

Heatwave got a little closer.

Smeck. Smeck.

Chroma couldn't believe what Heatwave was doing and kneed him below the belt.

xxx

"Heatwave!" Kade said as he went to the fire pole. "Lindsy wants us to pick up Jackie from the doctor's!"

"Why?" Heatwave groaned, still a little sore.

"Because Lindsy's in a meeting and won't be back for a few hours."

"Can't we just let Jackie wait?"

"Lindsy said she'll give us $100."

Heatwave rolled his optics before transforming.

xxx

"... and that's how I figured out how the Boov procreate!" Jackie said to Heatwave and Kade.

Kade and Heatwave just looked at her in WTF faces.

"Procreate means make babies," Jackie said.

"We know what it means," Kade said.

"And how can _that_ be number three?" Heatwave asked.

"It's my brain," Jackie said.

"But Oh said he almost went number three when he thought he was gonna die," Kade said.

"Sometimes blood misses the legs in fight of flight..."

"What?!" Kade and Heatwave said at the same time.

Jackie looked out the window. Her eyes went dragon.

xxx

"... and that's how I became a police officer," the woman in the hijab said.

"Your name's Asmalid?" Blades asked.

"After my grandmother."

"OH GOD!"

"I DON'T WANNA END UP LIKE THAT GUY IN _ALIEN_!"

"What the heck?!" everyone in the bunker said.

The platform came down with Jackie and Heatwave.

"Jackie didn't- I-I mean y-you wouldn't?" Graham stuttered.

Jackie smiled. "I scared him."

"Why?" Dani asked.

"Don't ask," Heatwave said, "Kade's fine, a little shook up, but fine."

Xxx

"What?" Jackie said, "Brains only showed it in storyboard I didn't pay much attention."

"I still don't think it's allowed," Chase told her.

"When did Heatwave and Chroma start dating?" Jackie looked at the two bots on the other side of the bunker.

Chase looked in the same direction. Heatwave and Chroma were arguing about something, Chase used his audio receptors' unique advanced listening to hear them.

"W-we'll talk about the film later," Chase walked to his room.

xxx

"Chase! Wake up!" Heatwave pounded on the door to Chase's quarters. "We got an emergency!"

 _"What's taking you guys?"_ Kade asked impatiently through the commlink.

"Chase you better not-" Heatwave's optics widened when he opened the door.

Chase was gone.

xxx

"Harry! Harry!" a woman screamed as she held onto a piece of her and her husband's boat.

A figure, bigger than a great white, swam under the wreckage.

A man surfaced and gasped.

"Harry!"

Something pulled the man under.

 _"Harry!"_

 _xxx_

"Chase," Jackie said tiredly as she knocked on the barn floor, "I know you're down there."

"No I'm not!"

"We got to stop the sharkticon."

"It's the middle of the night, go to bed!"

"But the sharkticon!"

"Ghost stories!"

"At least give me my suit!"

"You have a suit?"

"The metal life jacket!"

Jackie opened the plank she was knocking on and put her arm through the slot.

Chase handed her the jacket.

"How will it keep you from sinking?"

"Take me to the docks and I'll show you."

xxx

"I can't believe we weren't allowed on the boat," Heatwave complained, "they need us Rescue Bots."

 _Wee-o we-o we-o!_

"Where were you, Chase?" Chroma asked.

Chase said nothing as he let Jackie out and transformed.

"Sharkticon!" Jackie ran to the end of the dock.

"Those aren't real," Chroma scoffed.

"No, they're real," Heatwave countered.

The bots then began to argue over the existence of sharkticons.

 _SPLASH!_

 _xxx_

The husband and wife were okay, but Blades wasn't.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Blades whimpered as First Aid applied disinfectant.

"Quit whining, you still have your leg," First Aid said.

"Yea-ow! Still got my leg."

"Hey, guys!" Chroma popped her head in the med bay.

"Ah!" a startled First Aid jumped into Blades arms.

"WOAH! WOAH! WOAH!" Blades flailed as he fell off the med berth.

 _CLAMPF!_

"Oh, gosh!" Chroma half ran into the med bay. "Are you okay?"

"I will be once First Aid gets off me!" Blades said.

"Let's got, First Aid," Chroma grunted as she pulled the medic off Blades.

"Is he okay?"

"In a little bit."

xxx

Chase was sitting in the security room, playing computer chess.

 _Tap! Tap! Tap!_

"Oh, Cha~se," Chroma said.

"Yes?" he muttered.

"My partner and I are about to go on our first patrol! Wish us luck!"

"I will," Chase said as he checkmated the computer.

xxx

"First call of the day," Asmalid said the Chroma "'Zombies in empty apartment'."

"Is that a horror movie?" Chroma said with a laugh.

"Nope."

"Let's get it over with."

"This is the apartment, right?" Asmalid asked the landlord.

"Yes, and there are no zombies," the landlord said.

Something fell in the apartment.

The landlord opened the door.

A lot of eyes were looking at them.

"That's a _lot_ of owls," Asmalid said.

xxx

"What's that weird camera you have for?" Heatwave asked Kade.

"I'm going to start putting videos of our rescues on YouTube," Kade said.

"Really? What if an emergency goes bad? What if someone dies?"

"Okay, just not those."

"What kind of camera is it?"

"A GoPro, genius!"

xxx

"Good, you guy ar-" Asmaild stopped mid-sentence, "Really, Kade, a GoPro?"

"Heck, yeah."

"Get it over with." Chroma said via comm.

Asmalid opened the door.

"How. Many. OWLS?" Graham asked.

"Who left that window opened?" Lindsy asked.

"I'm glad I brought my GoPro," Kade said.

xxx

"Jackie ate a what?!" Miko asked Ratchet.

"A Sharkticon," Ratchet said, "now we just have to get it out of her."

"You're not gonna cut her open, are you?" Raf asked.

"I wish," Ratchet muttered.

"They're gonna make me go dragon and throw up!" Jackie said.

"EW!" Raf and Miko exclaimed.

"Like a large constrictor!"

"Double ew!" Miko said.

"You gonna get it on video?"

"Totally, dude!"

"Why?" Arcee asked as she and Bulkhead walked in with a large tarp.

xxx

"Owls?" Heatwave whispered to Chief Burns via comm.

"That's right, owls," Chief said.

Five minutes passed.

 _"SCRE-ACK!"_

"AH!" Kade screamed. "Bad owl, bad owl, bad owl!"

Kade ran out of the building being chase by a large barn owl.

"I told you, Kade, don't touch the owlets!" Lindsy called out the window.

"That should go on YouTube!" Heatwave chuckled.

xxx

"Jackie's drooling a _lot!"_ Miko said as she filmed dragon Jackie.

"Grk," dragon Jackie kept making that noise.

xxx

"Heatwave, I think Jackie's gonna be back tomorrow," Chroma said as she walked into Heatwave's quarters.

"That's good," Heatwave said as he walked out his cleaning quarters.

"Too bad she missed the tarp!" Chroma showed him the video Miko sent her.

[BTMPTH!]

["How is that thing not dead?!"] Miko screamed.

["No idea,"] Ratchet said.

["I'll kill it,"] Bulkhead said.

[CHOMP!]

["GE-OWCH! GETITOFFGETITOFFGRTITOFFGRTItoff!]

[N-N-NO, JACKIE DON'T-] Arcee shouted before Jackie breathed fire and the fire alarm went off.

Heatwave chuckled. "Seriously, how did that thing alive?"

"No idea, we're still figuring it out," Chroma said.

"Can I show you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Just come," Heatwave pulled her into the cleaning quarters.

"What are you-"

"Stay still," Heatwave put a washcloth against her audio receptor and began to clean it.

"Whoa!" Chroma jerked her head back. "What the heck are you doing?!"

"Cleaning your audio receptor ..."

"I can do that by myself!" Chroma stormed out.

She began to send Optimus Prime a message claiming unwanted attention from Heatwave.

"Chroma?"

She looked at who spoke, Chase.

"Are you all right? I heard you shouting."

"I-I'm fine," Chroma sent the message.

"Did Heatwave do something to you?"

"I already sent the complaint."

"He did. What did he do?"

"Grr... first, he kisses me in the middle of sparring, then he tries to apologize with a date, and now he tried to clean me!"

"Chroma," Chase carefully grabbed her shoulders and turned her towards him, "Heatwave hasn't been around a femme in a long time. He may have been trying to court you."

"Let go of me!" Chroma shook Chase off.

"Sorry if I angered you..." Chase had the hurt puppy look in his eyes and lowered his head.

"I'm going to watch 'Mysteries of Laura'," Chroma walked into the bunker.


	11. One of the Ages

Chief Burns and Chase were at the docks. The ferry was coming.

"Excellent!" Chase said. "Observation of maritime law!"

"Actually, we're just checking a shipment from the - Ah-CHOO! - the government for Doc Greene's lab," Chief said with a sniffle.

Jackie rode Abby next to Chase's driver side.

"Mach Kick is coming," She told them.

"Okay then?" Chief had no idea who, or what, she was talking about.

Jackie handed Chief a packet of travel tissues.

"Thanks, Jackie."

The ferry's horn honked.

xxx

A Hispanic man was trying to find his wife's cell phone number so he could tell her he was almost at the docks.

"Dammit," his battery died.

He looked at the classic car beside his truck.

"Hey, man, what year is your car?"

The two occupants looked at each other.

"Um, '65?" the one without glasses said.

"I got a buddy with the same car, I bet he knows."

"Oh, that-that's cool."

The horse in the trailer started whinnying and kicking.

 _KLA-TUNK!_

Tlop-tlop-tlop!

"You got to be kidding me!" the man ran out to get the horse back in the trailer.

Myles turned to his brother and they both nodded.

xxx

"That is an odd colored horse," Chase said.

"That's Mach Kick," Jackie said. "I'm keeping him for a while."

"Woah!"

SPLASH!

"Mr. Bunty!" Chief dove into the water.

"Yipe!" Jackie pulled on Abby's reigns to make her go backwards as a blue classic car almost hit them.

Chase attempted to stop the car, but he wound up ripping the bumper off.

"At least you got the license plate," Jackie said.

"Robot, let's go!" Chief said.

Chase transformed, let Chief in, and pursued to blue car.

Chief sneezed and blew his nose.

"You seem to be leaking fluids, Chief Burns," Chase said.

"Just a little bug- Ah-Choo!" Chief sneezed.

"Shall I roll down my window? Wha-? Oh no, no, NO!" Chase started to lose friction because the perps spilled oil on the road.

"AAHHH!" Chief and Chase burst through a guard rail on the edge of an ocean cliff!

Chase transformed, grabbed the cliff face, and climbed. He growled when he realized Myles and Evan escaped.

"Scrap! Scrap! Scrap!" Chroma nearly took down Chase as she slipped off the cliff in robot mode.

"Chroma, are you okay?" Asmalid, who was fifty feet away, said.

"Call First Aid..." Chroma groaned from the bottom.

xxx

"Dad's sick with the flu," Kade said, "as the oldest, I'm in charge until he's better."

"Hierarchical rule," K-9 said to no one in particular, "nice."

xxx

"Chroma sustained mild to moderate injuries to her back, lower legs, hips, right shoulder, both knees, neck, and head," First Aid told Chase.

"Sh-she's going to recover, right?" Chase asked.

"She will, in time."

Chroma stirred.

"Relax, Chroma," First Aid said.

xxx

"What does it mean to be sick with the flu?" Boulder asked Cody.

"I got sick the first time I flew," Blades said.

"Symptoms include: tiredness, lack of production, and a runny nose," Chase said through the monitor.

"Noses can't run," Blades got a scared look on his face, "or _can_ they?"

"Chief Burns was highly productive in a substance called, 'mucus'. I have a sample if anyone wants to looked at it."

"Ew! Why?"

"No thanks!" said Heatwave.

"I'll look!" Boulder said.

" _Guys, we got a gas fire to handle!_ " Kade said on the screen.

"Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue!"

 _"I wanted to say that!"_

 _xxx_

A Hispanic man, not the one mentioned earlier, in a green SUV watched to four Rescue Bots leave the firehouse.

"Alright, Bulk," he said, "let's go!"

Bulkhead pulled into the firehouse and the doors pulled closed behind him.

"I really hope Chroma doesn't shoot us!" Bulkhead said as his human got out.

"Yeah, me too," the man pulled a lever and the platform went down.

xxx

"Guys, someone just came in the firehouse!" Cody said from the command center.

 _"Cody, stay put!"_ Heatwave said. _"K-9, First Aid, get ready to attack if necessary!"_

"Got it!" K-9 ran into the elevator, transformed, and grabbed his blaster.

xxx

First Aid got in position outside the medbay and activated his electro-magnets.

xxx

"Ally," Kade said, "you and Chase get back to the firehouse!"

"Will do!" Asmalid said as she and Chase turned around.

xxx

"I'm going to see if Chroma's on the ship," Bulkhead said.

"I'll stay here if she's out," Tony, the man, said.

"Hey, Chroma, are you in here?" Bulkhead asked.

He opened a door and got blasted back by an electrical surge.

"Uh, Bulkhead?" First Aid poke the knocked-out bot.

 _"Relax, guys,"_ K-9 said, _"these guys are on our side."_

 _xxx_

"So, you're a police officer?" Kade asked Tony.

"Yeah, I work in California," Tony said.

"Optimus sent him here with Bulkhead due to a report he got," Jackie said as she came into the bunker in T1 mode.

xxx

"W-wait, what?!" The claim shocked Heatwave. "She kissed me!"

"By mistake," Bulkhead said, "and **you** started to make advances on her!"

"O-o-okay! I-I made a mistake, a HUGE one, don't we all?"

"You do realize you jeopardized your status as a Rescue Bot, right?"

Heatwave gulped.

"Optimus wants me to stay here for a while to keep an optic on you," Bulkhead said.

Heatwave gulped again.

xxx

"I'm beating you!" Jackie said as she zoomed past Cody.

"Hey, no fair! You have a built-in jetpack!" Cody said as he tried to make his hover board go faster.

"Blame it on my Cybertronian ancestors!"

"How can you be-"

"It's just a theory!"

xxx

"Intruder alert," Trex ran outside.

"I win! Whoa! A robot T. rex!"

"Trex, stop!" Doc Greene ran out pressing the 'heel' button.

xxx

"Stasis is different for Cybertronians," Jackie said as she looked at the Stasis Machine.

"Like when they sleep?" Frankie asked.

"That's recharge."

"Part of it is missing, but let's try it with a banana," Doc put the banana on the plate part of the machine and pressed a button. Nothing happened.

"I wonder what went wrong?" Cody said.

CHOOPF!

"AAAHHH!" Cody screamed.

"RE-RWOR!" that was Jackie.

They were both blasted into crates.

"Are you two okay?" Frankie asked.

"I think so," Cody said with a deeper voice.

"I think I'm havin' a period and a hot flash," Jackie said.

"Ugh, gross!"

"TMI!" Frankie said. "You two should look in a mirror."

Cody and Jackie looked at their reflections in a screen.

"You look like a cowboy, like your dad," Jackie said to Cody.

"How old do you think we are, Doc Greene?" Cody asked excitedly.

"30's to 40's," Jackie got proper sized clothes for Cody from her saddle bag.

"I bet I'm six feet tall!" KLONK! "Ow!"

"I'd sat six foot one Doc said.

"I can't wait to show Ka- Jackie, where'd that horse come from?"

"I followed ya, ya moron!" the horse said.

"Mach'" Jackie said in a mom voice. "Here, Brony," she tossed Cody the clothes.

"Why'd you call me a 'Brony?'" Cody asked.

"I can see your boxers."

"I'll go change!"

"My Little Pony boxers?" Frankie asked.

"Who knew," Jackie said.

xxx

Lindsy was putting groceries on the counter.

"Hi," Jackie walked through the door.

"Hey, Ja- the heck happened to you?!" Lindsy exclaimed.

"Faulty Stasis Machine," Jackie started to eat Nutella strait form the jar.

"Shouldn't that have put you in a coma?"

"It's a different stasis."

"This place keeps getting weirder and weirder."

xxx

Cody put on an extra emergency personnel uniform and slid down the fire pole to the bunker.

"Halt, intruder!" Chase said in his robot voice as he shined his light at Cody.

"Ack!" Cody shielded his eyes. "Chase, it's me! Cody!"

Chase scanned Cody. "You seem to have had hormonal changes in your body in addition to a mustache."

"Ew! Was that in your nose the whole time?" Blades asked.

"No, Blades," Cody said.

"Did you _not_ hear Chase mention the hormonal changes?" Heatwave asked.

xxx

"Jackie, I don't understand why you want to wear _my_ jeans," Lindsy said.

"Because they're not tight around my butt and hips," Jackie said.

"I don't have a big butt!"

xxx

Kade was fixing himself breakfast when Cody walked up behind him and said, "Guess who?"

"Ugh! Cody, grow up!" Kade knocked the hands out of his face.

"I think he already did," Graham said.

Kade turned around and saw an adult Cody.

"The hell?!" Kade exclaimed.

xxx

 _This is bad! This is bad! This is bad!_ Heatwave thought as he saw a recharging First Aid on top of him.

When he went into recharge, he was alone and in his quarters. He was surprised and scared when he saw a recharging First Aid on top of him.

 _Oh, man! Prime's Wrecker is going to see this and file it as inappropriate in the worst way possible and I'll never be seen again!_ Two of his close friends, a mech and a femme, disappeared. The mech for touching femmes, and the femme for 'dating' a minor.

 _Okay, okay! I'll just take him back to his quarters and I won't be in trouble._

He carefully got First Aid off him and started to carry him to his own quarters.

"Uh, Heatwave?"

Heatwave turned around and saw the Wrecker. "Eeep!"

 _"Rescue Bots, there's a rocket stuck in the power lines. A real rocket. I'm not joking,"_ Kade said.

Heatwave handed First Aid to Bulkhead and ran out of the ship.

"Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue!"

"Wha'd I miss?" First Aid said with a yawn.

"You did it _again,"_ Bulkhead said.

xxx

"So, you're Jackie's aunt?" Hayley asked Mrs. Broom.

"Don't be surprised," Mrs. Broom said, "I have a hard time believing you're dating that Kade Burns."

"How did you know that?"

"I have some connections."

"You're niece?"

"Among others."

"Uh, this might be an awkward question, but have any information on kids?"

"Do you want to know about pregnancy, labor, or raising them?"

"The first two."

xxx

"I see Chief Burns' and your taste in music greatly differs from one another!" Chase said over the rock music Cody was playing.

" _C-Oh, God! Loud music!_ " Jackie screamed over the comm.

"Sorry, Jackie," Cody turned off the radio. "What is it?"

 _"I found an old lady who doesn't speak English wandering through town. I think she's lost."_

"Where are you?"

 _"Jonny Rockets. I bought a lunch."_

"We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Is the restaurant's location close to the emergency?" Chase asked.

"Yep."

 _"Hey, if anyone sees an old woman in a chador and holding a walking stick, she's my grandmother and she doesn't speak English,_ " Ally said over the comm.

"Try Jonny Rockets."

 _"Thanks, Cody_!"

"Hey, Chase, can I try parking?"

"Yes, but be very ca- whoa!" Chase closed his eyes and hoped they wouldn't crash. "Th-that was drifting."

Cody got out of Chase to tell the crowd to get to safety.

xxx

Ally got out of her classic Chevy, a birthday gift from her uncle, and ran inside the Jonny Rockets and looked around until she found her grandmother eating a hamburger, fries, and Cola float.

"(Are you alright?)" she asked.

Her grandmother gave a thumbs up.

"Hi, Ally," Jackie walked in from the back of the restaurant, "I'm getting my horses to the beach."

"Don't you mea-"

An explosion startled to Quarter Horse and Penndex, the latter almost ran.

"The beach is calm."

"(What was that, a rocket?)" Ally's grandmother asked.

"Seriously, Mr. Cullen?" Ally muttered.

xxx

Later, Cody and Jackie were at Doc Greene's. Cody was playing basketball with Frankie and Jackie went dragon and was sparring with Tre.

"Ha!" Cody shot another basket. "I win again!"

Jackie growled and rolled her eyes as she pinned Trex down.

"Want to play again?" Cody asked Frankie.

"No, not really," Frankie walked inside her house.

"Jackie, you wanna play?"

Jackie walked over and popped the ball.

"What do you want to do then?"

Jackie went back into human form. "You're still mentally 12, dude."

"Jackie is correct," Chase said. "You may have aged physically, but not mentally."

"Yeah, you only look like that because you're hitting puberty."

"What?!" Cody said as Chase looked shocked at Jackie's comment.

"What, I studied it and Cody would look more like Graham pre-puberty."

 _Ping._

Jackie looked at her iPhone. "Looks like Ratchet found out why I had a Transmetal form two weeks ago."

"What is it?" Cody asked.

"Oh, we still need to do some more testing. Maybe on a-" Jackie's hair turned blue as she looked at her horses. "Someone's comin'!"

Chase went into robot mode and Jackie began to go dragon.

xxx

Blades and Bulkhead were playing Mortal Kombat X, First Aid was with Chroma, and Heatwave was fearing he may not be a Rescue Bot if he messed up.

"What th-?" Bulkhead said as his character got KO'd by Blades.

[" **Finish her!** "]

Blades was still clicking buttons with closed eyes.

[Crack!]

"Oh!"

[Crack!]

"She's crippled," Heatwave said.

[Schclurglrglrglrp]

[SCHICH!]

[" **Fatality!** "]

"Did I win?" Blades asked.

[" **Lu Tang wins!** "]

 _"Evan and Myles have the youth part of the stasis machine,"_ Jackie said over the comm. " _Cody, Chase, Mach, and I are chasing them."_

 _xxx_

Cody and Chase were behind Myles and Evan when an old guy decided to cross the street.

 _Does he_ not _see the police car with flashing lights and sirens?_ Cody thought to himself.

xxx

The twins couldn't believe it! A horse was coming up on them and they were doing 80mph!

Jackie activated her Agsaber and slashed at the back tires.

 _ **POP!  
**_  
The twins ran into the shipping yard to lose the crazy chick on the horse.

Jackie dismounted Mach.

"Thanks, dude," she patted the stallion's neck.

Heatwave and Chase arrived and let out their human partners.

"What the-? Jackie, did you do that?!" Kade pointed at the busted tire.

Jackie smiled as she deactivated the Agsaber.

Heatwave quickly put Kade in his cab.

"Let's get 'em!" Jackie went a little dragon.

"Hey, we got them!" Kade said as he got out of Heatwave.

Evan shot Heatwave's leg and the beam ricocheted off onto Kade. Then the twins ran.

"What the heck?!" Kade lifted his helmet. "Aw, man! I'm a kid again!" he looked over at Heatwave. "Well, at least I'm not a toddler."

Chase, Cody, and Jackie arrived to where Heatwave and Kade were.

"Well, this is problematic!" Chase said when he saw Heatwave.

Heatwave tried to stand, but he fell onto his behind.

Jackie went all dragon and picked up Heatwave in her mouth.

"Hey, Jackie, what are you doing?!" Cody said.

Jackie looked at Kade for two seconds before walking off with Heatwave.

"Jackie, no! Sit!" Chase said.

 _Am I a bitch?_ Jackie growled.

"She's hiding Heatwave," Kade said.

"Why didn't she just say that?" Chase asked.

"Can we please focus on catching Myles and Evan for now?" Cody said.

xxx

A green eyed mech watched his monitor and saw an organic predicon hide a youngling in a crate.

"Darksyde," he called.

"Yes, Master?" Darksyde asked.

"Under the cover of darkness," the mech froze a frame, "get me this youngling."

"What about your little medic?"

"He's a bit too old for my taste. No longer cute."

"What of the predicon?"

"Do what you must..." a clawed hand caressed the image of the youngling.

xxx

First Aid cleaned the Command Center, as he didn't have clearance to go out without a human. All the screens flickered.

"Is that normal?" Bulkhead asked.

"I don't know, maybe," First Aid said.

xxx

"Evan, in here!" Myles said as he dragged his twin into a crate. "No one will find us-"

CLUNK!

Evan punched Myles in the gut.

xxx

Chief Burns was feeling better and went down stairs to tell his family. When he saw a kid Kade and adult Cody he went back to bed.

xxx

 _KRISH-ISH!_

Toddler Heatwave covered his audio receptors as a thunderstorm approached.

 _Jackie, where are you? I'm scared._

The top of the crate creaked open and someone picked him up.

He smiled until he saw the mech's blood red eyes and stared to panic. A hand went over his mouth to quiet him as a needle went into his thigh. He then passed out.

xxx

"Oh my gosh! Oh, my gosh! OH, MY GOSH!" First Aid san around the bunker in a full-blown panic.

"First Aid, calm down!" Bulkhead said as he grabbed the young medic's arm.

"HOW CAN I WHEN THAT-THAT MONSTER'S BACK?!"

"What's going on?" the now proper aged Kade asked as he slid down the fire pole.

"Heatwave's been bot-napped!" Blades exclaimed.

"BY A MONSTER!" First Aid yelled.

"Got any footage?" Kade asked.

Chase played the footage that caused First Aid to panic.

"'Aid, do you know that guy?" Kade asked.

"Th-th-that's Darksyde, Rotor's second in comm-menya~uhhhh..." First Aid passed out into Boulder's arms.

"We should get him to the medbay," Blades said, "he needs medical attention."

Kade pulled out his iPhone. "I'm calling-"

Ping.

"Did Jackie text you?" Chase asked.

"Apparently, she knows a guy who's helping us already."

Xxx

Heatwave could feel wet grass on his face plates. He opened his eyes and yawned.

"Guys, he's over here!" he heard Jackie shout.

He saw the transmutate and three members of his team running towards him.

"Don't scare us like that!" Kade said as he helped Heatwave stand up.

K-9 started to sniff him. "I'm picking up two, no, three scents!"

"Let's get you back the Griffin Rock," Boulder said as he picked up Heatwave.

xxx

"I'm telling you, I'm fine!" Heatwave said in the morning as he stood up, finally the right age.

"Well, we were scared!" Blades said.

Heatwave walked into a tunnel. "Don't follow me!"

xxx

Heatwave thought about what happened while he was out. He knew how frantic First Aid was when he saw him. _Was the mech that took me the guy who hurt him?_

"Hey, dude," Jackie said.

"Oh, hi- what is that?" he pointed at the large metal bird on her shoulder.

"Buzzsaw," Jackie scratched the raptor-like creature's chest. "My informant gave him to me last night."

"O... kay?"

"BTW, Rotor's a pervert."

"W-what?" Heatwave shook a little bit.

"My informant told me. Which way to the firehouse?"

Heatwave transformed. "Get in..."

xxx

"Tony's going to go back to California, but I'm staying for a while," Bulkhead told Chief Burns.

"I understand," Chief said.

"I hope First Aid will be okay," Dani said.

 _"Bulkhead's staying?!"_

 _"Heatwave, First Aid had a bad dream, you won't be in trouble!"_ Jackie said.

xxx

First Aid was hiding under his blankets when Heatwave came in.

"Can we talk?"

"No."

"It will just be between us," Heatwave sat down.

"Turn off your comm."

Heatwave did that and First Aid told him all about Rotors.

"Don't worry," Heatwave said as he hugged the young medic, "he'll have to go through us to get to you."

"That's what I'm scared of."


	12. Tip of the Iceberg

Chief Burns, Cody, and Chase were on the ferry, trying to find a 'sea monster'.

"I've heard driftwood could be mistaken for sea monsters," Chase whispered.

"Well, this driftwood has been circling the ferry for three days," Chief Burns said.

Dolphin-like noises came from the commlinks.

"Whoa, you have dolphin police?!" a 25 year old man with a blond Flash Thompson-like haircut said in amazement.

"That was one of our animal control officers," Cody said, "her suit needs some work on it."

"Jackie can you repeat what you said?" Chief asked.

More dolphin noises.

"Oh, for the love of- just surface and tell us!" Chief said.

Two webbed metallic hands appeared on the edge of the boat, and Chief and Cody helped Jackie up.

"Your animal control officer is a robot mermaid?! That's insane!" the man said.

"It's a scuba suit, dingbat!" the man's sister said.

"I said 'oarfish'," Jackie said after she deactivated her mask.

Something hit the boat, causing it to jerk.

"Ice?!" Cody exclaimed as he looked over the edge. "It's not winter yet!"

Then an iceberg appeared and it was getting close to the boat.

"Rescue Bot, take care of that iceberg!" Chief said.

Chase tried to push the iceberg away, but it was too much for one bot.

Jackie's skin turned a light grey, and her eyes and hair turned blue.

 _What is she doing?!_ Chase thought.

"Cover your ears!" Jackie took in a big breath and let out a scream more powerful that X-Men's Banshee.

The sonic waves pushed away the iceberg.

"Jackie, how did you know that would work?" Cody asked.

Jackie shrugged her shoulders.

Chief Burns threw his comm onto the iceberg. That confused the others, but Jackie knew why he did it. She saw the figure too.

xxx

"So... are the guys in the nuclear sub trying to kill the guys in the WWII sub?" First Aid asked Heatwave.

"No, it's a war game," Heatwave said.

"Was that the ship?" Bulkhead asked after a noise happened.

"Given the faces those guys are making, I'd say no."

"Hi, guys," Jackie said as she and Cody got off the elevator.

"Did you catch a giant fish?" Bulkhead asked.

"No," Cody said, "but Dad and Jackie saw someone on the iceberg and Dad threw his comm on it."

"I'm bringing my Agsaber with me," Jackie went into transmutate one. "BRB!" She zoomed off into the tunnels.

"Iceberg?!" Heatwave said in surprise.

 _"I told you about it, Heatwave!"_ Chroma said over the comm.

xxx

"Um... c-could we fly a little higher, Dani?" Blades nervously asked.

"You want to fly higher? Alert the media," Dani said.

"It is a known fact that sea monsters like to snatch low flying creatures."

Jackie started to make chicken noises from the back seat.

"There's the iceberg!" Cody pointed.

xxx

Chroma was checking the comm recordings from the past year.

"Hey, Chroma," Ally said. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," Chroma said as she cracked her neck.

"You should be careful," Bulkhead said.

"I only have bruises now, Bulkhead," Chroma turned to Ally. "How was your lunch run?"

"Someone told me to go back to my home country, and I said that I am and for them to mind their own business," Ally said.

"Yeah, these folks may have some difficulty adjusting to you, Ally," Chief Burns said as he walked in.

Chroma pressed 'play' on an audio recording and had a disgusted, horrified look on her face.

"What is it, Chroma?" Chief asked in a worried tone.

"Gross!" Chroma ripped off the headset.

Ally put on a human sized headset and pressed 'play'. "Yuck!" She took off her headset as well.

"Hey, Heatwave," Bulkhead pulled in the mech. "Do you have any idea what's this about?"

Heatwave put on the headset. "Um, have you guys ever wondered why I didn't talk to Kade for a few days...?"

xxx

Jackie wanted to melt the ice on the control panel they found, but Dani used anti-ice stuff on it.

Cody pressed one of the buttons and Blades yelped as the floor opened beneath him.

"Dude, you okay?" Jackie asked.

"No. More. Pushing. Random. Buttons!" Blades said as he brushed himself off.

"Hey, is there a crow bar in there? I see boxes."

Blades just let the humans in.

xxx

"I thought I turned off my comm..." Kade said after he heard the audio.

"It's now an all new kind of awkward," Chroma said.

xxx

Blades, Dani, and Cody walked through the storage of the boat, trying to find if anyone was trapped.

"W-w-wait-t-t-t up!" Jackie shivered as she flew to catch up.

"Are you okay?" Blades asked.

"I-I'm c-c-cold," Jackie started to go dragon.

"Don't go dragon and we'll get hot cocoa on the way back," Dani said.

"D-d-don't you kn-n-now about w-werew-wolv-v-ves? Th-they can't-t control it-t!" Jackie's horns and claws became visible. "Blades, hold my suit!" She tossed the Nyaid to the bot and went all dragon.

The team continued to search the ship and found a desk and portrait of the captain.

Jackie nudged the tops of some of the crates open and stuck her head in them. She wound up like one of those cats with tissue boxes on their heads.

"This journal says that is the _S. S. Isolde_ ," Cody said. "Hey! This is Great-Grandpa's ship!"

"And it looks like we found out why it's covered in ice," Dani said after Jackie took the tarp off the machine.

"Yeah, they forgot to turn it off," Blades flicked a lever and was quickly frozen.

Dani reached for the deicer, but Jackie fire breathed the bot the defrost him.

"Blades, are you okay?!" Dani asked.

"N-no. More. Fl-flipping. R-random. Sw-witches. E-either."

"I think Jackie missed a spot," Cody pointed out.

xxx

The rescue team was about to discuss what to do about the iceberg/boat in the bunker.

First Aid walked over to a shivering Blades and put a heavy blanket over his shoulders.

"Th-thanks, F-first A-aid," Blades said.

"I've noticed a crack on your gyroscope, I think," First Aid said.

"Y-you th-think?!"

"I'm not good with copter terms!"

"Guys, the meeting is about to start," Chroma said as Chase helped her walk.

"Most of the Isolde's cargo was top secret," Graham said, "except the Sub-Zero Expander."

Blades yelped when she saw the hologram.

"Avert you optics, Blades," Chase covered the copter's eyes, "think warm thoughts."

Dragon Jackie licked Blades' face. There was now a slobber string.

Graham explained what the machine did.

"I say we blow it up! Huh?" Heatwave and Kade looked at each other.

Jackie let out a low growl.

"Why do you guys like explosions?" K-9 asked.

"We'll do it first thing in the morning," Chief said, "Cody, you and K-9 will stay here."

The doorbell rang.

Jackie tried to say 'doorbell'.

"Time for you to go home," Boulder said as he walked her to the tunnel.

xxx

Blades was lying on his belly in the medbay so First Aid could fix his rotors.

"Is this going to hurt?" he asked.

"No," First Aid said, "all you'll feel is a pinch while you're out."

First Aid started to put Blades into stasis and massaged his rotors as he fell asleep. He then numbed the area once Blades was out and began to replace the gyroscope. He had a little trouble with the new gyroscope, it wouldn't go in, and had to use his body weight to get it in.

Blades squeaked and his rotors twitched.

First Aid grabbed a blanket, tucked Blades in, and turned off stasis.

xxx

"I don't think that you should bring Jackie on this mission," Bulkhead said as he threw the lobbing ball to Heatwave. "She could go dragon again."

"She's only coming to keep the marine life away," Heatwave tossed the ball back.

"All right..."

Bulkhead and Heatwave continued to toss the ball when the former asked: "What was on the audio file?"

Heatwave froze and then got hit in the middle with the ball.

"You okay?" Bulkhead helped Heatwave up.

"Kade was being intimate with his girlfriend, Hayley," the firebot said, "he had his comm on the firefighter channel."

The Wrecker's eyes widened. "You mean you heard them-" he lowered his voice to a whispered "- interfacing?"

"The whole 20 minutes."

"Ewww!"

xxx

GA-GLUNK-GLUNK-A-GLUNK!

"What's that?" Dani asked Blades.

"I don't know!" Blades whimpered. "I had my rotors and gyroscope fixed last night!"

POK!

"AAAHH!"

CRASH!

"Dani! Blades! Are you two okay?" Chief asked.

"My rotors popped off, but we're both fine," Blades said.

"Looks like First Aid's going to be on this mission," Heatwave said.

xxx

Cody sadly looked at the monitor. He really wanted to be on the boat helping his family.

"Wassup!" K-9 said as he transformed.

"AAH! You know that scares me!"

"Wanna go for a walk? Play ball? Study Jackie's blood?" K-9's tail wagged.

Cody just opened his great-grandpa's journal.

"I'll go freak out the new guys," K-9 got back into dog-mode and left.

xxx

Heatwave and Boulder used their energizers to make holes for the bombs First Aid and Chase put in.

"Alright, let's get out of the blast zone," Chief said.

xxx

Ally grumbled something in a language that Cody didn't know as she dragged K-9 to the Command Center.

"It was funny!" K-9 defended.

"T.J. peed himself!" Ally said. "Now, STAY!" she left.

K-9 whimpered and pawed Cody's leg.

"What is it?" Cody asked.

"Shark."

Cody looked at the screen and gasped. "Dad, something swam under the iceberg and I think it's alive!"

xxx

"It's probably nothing," Jackie said as she sat on the boat's edge.

"It could be a submersible!" Graham said.

"Heatwave," Chief turned to the bot.

"On it! Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue!"

The rescue bots went back on the iceberg and threw the bombs off before they exploded in the water.

The bots reboarded the boat, with the help from First Aid's electro-magnets, when the sub surfaced.

"Chief Burns!" the occupant said. "Why must you and your rescue robots always get in my way?!"

"Cool sub," Jackie said. "Y'know my suit also has a sea creature theme."

"This solves two mysteries," Chief said.

xxx

"Dr. Morocco," Cody said.

"The guy from 'Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail'?" K-9 asked.

"What? No!"

xxx

"I legally have permission to salvage this vessel," Morocco shoved a document in Chief's face, "signed by your mayor."

 _"I'll check with the mayor,"_ Cody said.

"There are warrants out for your arrest," Chief said.

"I intend on paying my bail," Morocco stubbornly said. First Aid caught his eye. "Is that a new robot?"

First Aid was in fight or flight mode as the scientist looked him up and down.

 _"I checked with the mayor, Dad,"_ Cody said, _"it's legit."_

"C'mon team, let's head back to the docks," Chief started the boat's engine.

Morocco went back into his submarine and left.

Once the bots were sure they weren't being followed they dropped the act.

"I-I-I don't like that guy," First Aid began to pace back and forth on the boat.

"Hard to imagine someone who would," Heatwave said.

"Easy on the pacing, First Aid!" Kade said. "You're rocking the boat!"

"Well, sorry for being scared!" First Aid said before a wave hit the boat, causing him to go overboard.

"I'll put my suit on," Jackie took off her life jacket.

Cody was doing some more reading of his ancestor's journal when he discovered dangerous information on the Sub-Zero Expander.

"Dad, listen to this: the journal says that if the Sub-Zero Expander gets damaged it will freeze everything in a five mile radius!"

xxx

"We hear you, Cody," Chief turned the boat around.

Dragon Jackie tossed First Aid back on the boat.

"Oof!" the medic grunted.

"It's one thing for Dr. Morocco to endanger himself, but this is more serious!" Chief said.

Once they got back to the iceberg, the team sprang into action.

"That man is _not_ one of humanity's best examples," Heatwave said after he put Morocco into his ship's storage area.

Chief and Chase got to the open _Isolde's_ storage, but the machine was about to blow.

"Everyone, to your bots! Now!"

First Aid tensed up a bit, but complied.

"Hey, where's Jackie?" Kade looked around.

Then the Sub-Zero Expander blew, freezing all the bots in vehicle mode.

xxx

"Oh, crap!" Ally said and the two new EMT's jaws dropped.

"C'mon, let's go!" Blades ran to his helipad, elevator, thingy.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Chroma said as she stood up with a hand on the wall as she held Blades' rotors.

"Oh."

xxx

 _It's freaking cold!_ Jackie thought as she struggled to get her lower half out of the bottom of the ice.

She split her tail into legs and kicked.

xxx

 _Well, it could be worse,_ First Aid thought to himself.

Dani was a Daniela, not a Daniel.

xxx

"Bulkhead! Wake up!" Chroma shook the large mech.

"Huh, wha' time iz i'?" Bulkhead rubbed his optics.

"Not much rest?"

"Nah, 'cons. Wha's goin' on?"

Chroma pointed at the monitor as Blades pressed a button the remote.

"Did I sleep 'til winter?!"

xxx

Cody, K-9, Ally, and the new recruits arrived at the docks.

Cody used the land to water cycle to transport deicer to his family while the others were shooing away the lookie loos.

xxx

"I got it this time!" Kade rammed the inside of Heatwave's door.

Bang!

"Owowowowowow!" Kade rubbed his shoulder.

"You okay?" the fire-bot asked.

"Just a little sore."

"Everybot, try your heaters!" First Aid said as he turned on his own.

 _"_ We don't have those," Chase said.

Cody arrived at the iceberg and got off the cycle.

"Hey, me first!" Heatwave said. "Kade's overstayed his welcome."

Cody sprayed deicer on all the bots.

"Hey, did you see Jackie?" Graham asked as he got out of Boulder.

"I think she's still under the ice," First Aid said as he transformed into bot mode.

"I'll call Lindsy!" Graham got out his cell phone and called the animal control officer on speed dial.

"You have her on speed dial?" Kade asked.

She can track Jackie with her Transmutate Tracker. None of the bots have them."

"Sure you ain't datin'?" Kade poked Graham in the ribs.

" _Jackie's on the move_ ," Lindsy said. " _I think she's looking for an opening in the ice."_

"Looks like the bad doctor got away," Chief said to Chase.

"Dad, Lindsy said that if Jackie freaks out, she might melt the ice to get an opening," Graham said.

"I think she _might_ have done that already," Kade pointed to the cracking ice.

"I saw four cars trying to drive on the ice on my way here!" Cody said.

"We're on it!" Heatwave said. "Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue!"

The bots ran onto the ice and transformed to save the four drivers who thought it was a good idea to drive on ice.

The iceberg began to fall apart.

"Everybody, onto the boat!" Chief shouted.

Then a chunk of ice fell and broke part of the boat.

"We're taking on water!" Kade shouted.

xxx

Jackie found an opening next to the ferry. She shot her arms up and jumped to the boat's side.

She failed like a cat in a cat fail video.

She tried again and two boys from her school helped her aboard.

"Jackie, is that you?" the short one with curly hair asked.

Jackie dropped the mask and visor.

"How do you go to the bathroom in that thing?" the tall one with a buzz cut asked.

Jackie rolled her eyes and looked at the beach.

xxx

"Did Dr. Morocco just save you?!" First Aid asked.

"I didn't think he had a good bone in his body," Chief said.

"Where is this 'good bone' located?" Chase whispered.

"Maybe it's next to the 'funny bone' we've heard of," Boulder suggested.

"The humorous has nothing to do with humor," First Aid said.

xxx

The Rescue Bots were resting from the emergency in the bunker while the Burnses were upstairs.

Cody was a bit upset that he wasn't able to get his great-grandpa's portrait from the ship.

"You won't believe what I found at our front door!" Kade said as he walked in with the painting.

Little did they know that there was a tiny camera in the frame.


	13. Rotors

(A/N: this episode gets a little adult. It has hinted at moments, I'll let you know his there is one of those scenes coming up, so you can skip it, if you want.)

First Aid was recharging with Heatwave. Again.

 _Why does he keep doing this?_ Heatwave thought. He gently shook him awake.

"Wh-what?" the medic rubbed his optics.

"Why do you keep climbing into my berth?"

"Why do you ask?"

"This is the sixth time this month."

"You're like my security blanket," First Aid went back to recharge.

 _Security blanket?!_ Heatwave got out of there quickly.

xxx

Chase was spotting Chroma as she did push-ups.

"How am I doing?" she asked.

"Very sexy," Chase said.

"What?!"

"I-it was a complement!"

"Bad move!" Blades called from the TV.

"Bulkhead?" Heatwave called out as he walked in the bunker. "Have you guys seen Bulkhead?"

"He left last night," Boulder said. "He had to fight some Decepticons."

"Why are you looking for him?" Chroma asked as she sat crossed legged.

"First Aid keeps climbing in my berth at night to recharging with me," Heatwave said, "he says I'm his 'security blanket'."

"How many times has he done it?"

"Six times this month."

"I bet he looks up to you like a big brother," Chroma stood up. "He's done it before. I thought he grew out of it."

"Well, it's really weird," Heatwave crossed his arms.

"Maybe he misses his gestalt," Blades said.

"That probably isn't it."

"What do you mean? Separated bots of combiner units tend to miss one another," Chase said.

"Well, First Aid told me he didn't trust a few of his former teammates."

"Like Rotors..." Chroma trailed off.

"How bad is Rotors?" Blades asked. "I mean, I know he's bad. First Aid said he was a monster, but how bad is he? We don't even know him!"

"SVU bad," Heatwave said.

xxx

First Aid was having a nightmare that he thought he woke up, but he was in another nightmare.

He shot up and screamed.

"First Aid!" Heatwave ran in. "What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

"You have no idea," First Aid said.

xxx

"See you guys after school!" Cody grabbed his jacket and backpack before he left the kitchen.

"Later, Cody," Kade said.

"Don't forget your bike lock!" Chief Burns said.

Moments later, Tyler and Raychel showed up.

"Okay, it's our shift!" Raychel said excitedly.

"Yeah, when do we get our mech on?" Tyler asked.

"I'll get First Aid," Dani said.

xxx

First Aid was a bit uneasy having a male human in his cabin.

"Wanna hear about this girl I dated?" Tyler asked.

"Not really..." First Aid squeaked.

"Yeah, she wasn't nice anyway," Raychel said.

"First Aid, what was your first experience?" Tyler asked.

"Why would you ask tha-AAAAAAA!"

First Aid made a turn in the middle of the road. A lot of drivers honked.

xxx

"First Aid, I am very disappointed in you!" Chase said. "That kind of reckless driving can cause an accident!"

"Chase, go easy on him," Chroma said, "Maybe one of his humans said something that upset him."

"I think we should wait for Heatwave to get back from his shift, Chase," Boulder said. "First Aid trusts him more than us."

"First Aid, did one of your humans say something?" Chase asked like an integrator.

First Aid said nothing as he looked down.

"Look at me when I ask you a question!" Chase grabbed Fist Aid's chin and stared him in the eyes.

First Aid activated his mask and visor and cut Chase's thumb.

"Ow!" Chase pushed the medic away.

Then First Aid ran to the Sigma.

Chroma smacked Chase on the side of the head. "We told you to wait for Heatwave to come back!"

xxx

"Why did the ambulance-bot turn in the middle of the road the other day?" Hayley asked Kade as the drove to the hospital for her checkup.

"It misunderstood what the twins said," Kade said. "Why are you getting so many checkups?"

"I'll tell you later, okay?"

"Okay."

Heatwave mentally sighed.

xxx

"Chase, did you hear that Jackie's having a Halloween party at this old farm house?" Chroma asked.

"It isn't on Lindsy's property," Chase muttered.

"They made a deal with the owner."

"What is it?"

xxx

"Be gone, rodents!" Jackie said as she stood in stirrups, with glowing blue hair and eyes, as rats and mice exited the building.

xxx

"I'm not 100% sure how to respond to that," Chase said.

"That sums up how she can be," Chroma said.

A moment passed.

"Would you like to watch a movie?" Chroma asked.

"L-like a date?!" Chase squeaked.

Chroma raised an optic ridge. "Do you have feelings for me?"

"Yeah. Do you like me back?"

"As a friend."

xxx

First Aid was lying down on a med berth. His spark was feeling odd.

"Hi, First Aid," Blades said as he walked in. "How are you?"

"My spark feels... I don't know how to describe it. "It's just... _funny_ ," First Aid said.

"Maybe it's a member of your gestalt."

First Aid shot up. "What?!"

"Come on, everybot learns about this in medical training."

"I learned on the field. I wasn't old enough to be enrolled when the war started."

This puzzled Blades. "How did you learn?"

"My dad and, erm, Rotors."

"Maybe you'll feel better with a spark tracker," Blades opened a drawer and pulled out a small, patch-like object. "Totally non-invasive."

"Do I put it on my chest?"

"Yup," Blades stuck it on under First Aid's Chest plate.

xxx

Chase couldn't believe it! Chroma was holding his hand as they watched the movie!

 _Maybe she does like me more than just a friend and doesn't know it!_ He thought excitedly.

The end credits began to roll.

"So what did you think of the movie?" Chroma asked.

"Huh?" Chase didn't pay attention.

"When did you lose concentration?" she let go of his hand.

"When you held my hand," Chase said.

"So, Emma's backstory."

"Yep."

"Want to watch another movie?" Chroma pulled out Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore's rom com.

"Sure," then Chase saw the title. "This is the one with the rhinos making a baby, isn't it?"

"Close your eyes at that part."

xxx

Graham pushed his spaghetti with meatballs around, as he was nervous on his first date with Lindsy.

"How are the bots?" Lindsy asked as she buttered her Italian bread.

"Good, they're good. Jackie and the animals?"

"We sold a couple of rescues and found the Fjords' owners."

"And those are...?"

"The tan ones with stripes in their manes."

Graham nodded.

"So, do you want to see a movie later?" Lindsy asked.

"Uuuhhh..." Graham's brain broke.

Lindsy waved a hand in front of his face.

xxx

"Thanks for helping me out, Cody," Jackie said as she mushed meatloaf into a brain mold pan.

"No problem," Cody said.

"Can I have some meatloaf?" K-9 asked.

"Maybe later," Jackie said. "What are you going to be, guys?"

"K-9's thinking of going as K-9 from 'Doctor Who'," Cody said.

"And you?"

"Nick Burkhart."

"You watch 'Grimm', too?!"

Jackie almost dropped her brain loaf.

"On demand, yeah."

"I love the effects they have for the woges (voges)!"

"Are you going as a wessen?"

"Nah, Japanese legend."

"Which one?"

"Slit-Mouth Woman."

xxx

Kade was a bit shocked. He never knew Hayley had a medical condition that might hurt to baby. It wasn't bad in reality, just cysts.

"You okay?" Heatwave asked.

"Hayley might lose the baby."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Cysts."

 _I'll look that up later._

 _xxx_

 _Halloween isn't evil. Halloween isn't evil,_ First Aid repeated to himself. He felt a little paranoid due to the movies he saw, and the funny spark feeling wasn't helping.

"First Aid?" Blades asked as he walked into the med bay. "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah. Just thinking of my spark-day."

"When is it?"

"31st."

"Is your sire coming?"

"I-I prefer 'dad," First Aid said with a shudder.

Blades knew his must have said a trigger word. "How's your spark?"

First Aid gave him an evil look.

"Oh, right!" Blades pulled out a tablet. "Yep, it's a gestalt member. He might be close."

"I'm not going to look for Rotors!" First Aid almost gagged.

"Maybe it's someone else."

"That may be, but I'm still not going."

"Look, Dani and I will do a flyover of these islands within the spark radius," Blades pulled up a holo-map. "I don't think Rotors will hurt me since we're both hovers."

"I don't count on it," First Aid crossed his arms.

xxx

"Sorry, Blades," Dani said," Taylor and I are going on a double date with Lindsy and Graham tomorrow. I'll see if dad will let you go on your own."

"Thanks, Dani," Blades said when Heatwave walked in.

"What are you two talking about?" he asked.

"Blades is going for a fly tomorrow," Dani said.

"Why?" Heatwave turned to Blades.

"Just doing a flyover of some of the islands," Blades said.

Heatwave was suspicious. "But you _hate_ flying."

"I'm trying to get over my fear."

"Yeah, right," Heatwave headed to the tunnels. "I'm going to see how Jackie is doing on her haunted house plans."

xxx

Chase and Chroma were watching some horror movies late at night.

Chase was hoping Chroma would get scared so he could comfort her, but it ended up being vice versa.

"Are you scared?" Chroma asked.

"N-not so much," Chase squeaked.

Chroma chuckled a bit. She had to admit, Chase did seem like imperfect mate material, but not in the bad way.

A jump scare appeared and Chase grabbed Chroma in fear, not knowing where one of his hands went.

"Move your hand, **now**!" Chroma said.

Chase realized his hand was groping her chest and he froze in fear.

" **Chase**!" Chroma gritted her teeth.

Chase got the nerve to move his hand away.

"Sorry," he whimpered.

"Don't do that again."

"I can't guarantee with these movies."

Then an actress got a splinter in the eye.

Chase jumped on top of Chroma.

"Chase, get OFF!" Chroma shoved him off of her and the couch.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Heatwave asked as he walked in.

"I got scared and jumped onto Chroma," Chase muttered as he looked down to the floor.

Heatwave rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm going to recharge now." he walked out of there quickly.

xxx

Blades transformed before landing on Wayward Island. This was where the signal was coming from. He began his search.

xxx

Raychel and Ally were on patrol with Chroma.

"People don't like you, don't they?" Raychel said after a few evil glances.

"It's the hijab," Ally said.

"Well, at least you won't have helmet hair."

"Ha, ha, yeah."

Chroma quickly stopped.

"Whoa!" both girls almost got whiplash.

"Whoa!" Jackie's left arm was being yanked as the strawberry roan draft mix galloped with Jackie riding Abby.

Her hair and eyes were glowing blue, meaning she was communicating with her.

"My arm's caught and someone hit Fun's hinny with an electric fly swatter!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Chroma, stop the horse!" Ally said as she and Raychel got out so she could transform.

Chroma wrapped her arms around the draft's middle and was dragged to the other side of the intersection before unclipping the lead rope.

Raychel checked Jackie's arm. It only had a little rope burn.

Ally informed Chief Burns of what was happening.

Chroma was still being dragged by the horse.

Xxx

"Three more days until Halloween," Heatwave stated. "Are you still sure no one will start fires?"

"Nope," Kade said. "No one in their right mind would do that."

"Well, I'm going to prepare for worst case sinario."

"Blades hasn't checked in, but he's still on Wayward Island," Boulder said.

"Well, he's missing the weirdest emergency ever!" Kade pointed at the live news feed of Chroma being dragged by a horse.

xxx

Blades finished his call in and continued his search.

A few minutes in, he heard tree limbs breaking.

"Wh-who's there?" he picked up a branch.

"No wonder Optimus didn't pick you to be a warrior," Red Alert said as he walked into the clearing. "Decepticon's would kill you in half a sparkbeat."

"Why are you here? Wait, don't tell me. _You're_ the reason First Aid's spark's funny. You're part of his gestalt."

"No, I'm following a distress signal. I left the gestalt long before First Aid joined."

"Oh. Do you want to work together, then?"

Red Alert shrugged his shoulders.

xxx

Chroma had never been so embarrassed in her life! Someone had leaked the footage of her and it went viral.

"Chroma, are you alright?" Chase asked as he= walked into her room.

"No, I'm the laughing stock of the internet," Chroma muttered into her pillow.

"It could have happened to anyone else," Chase said as he sat next to her.

"Yeah, right!"

Chase began to rub what was, in his mind, her one audio receptor.

"All of this will be over in a -" _**SNAP!**_ "- week!"

Chroma's audio receptor fell off!

"Hm?" Chroma turned to look at Chase, who had a horrified look on his face.

Chase's optics rolled to the back of his head and he passed out.

"Chase!" she got off her bed and tried to wake up Chase.

"What happened?" a passing Heatwave asked. "And what happened to your audio receptor?!"

"Chase fainted! What do you mean what happened to my audio receptor? Help me get Chase to the med bay!"

Heatwave put his arms around Chase's shoulder and under his legs and ran him to the med bay.

"First Aid! Chase needs medical attention!" Chroma said as they came in.

Heatwave put Chase on the berth and started to take off his chest armor.

"Are you supposed to take off a patient's chest armor?" First Aid asked.

"Yep," Heatwave said.

First Aid got the medical chest wires, placed them on Chase's chest, and attached them to a monitor.

"His vitals are normal," he said.

"He has a cut on his forehead," Chroma pointed out a stream of energon leaking from under his helm.

"So, do I take off the helm?"

"I got this. First Aid, can you brace his neck?" Heatwave asked.

First Aid pulled out a neck brace.

"No, with your hands."

They took off Chase's helm and First Aid began to treat his cut.

"What is he holding?" Heatwave noticed Chase's hand clenched around something.

Chroma opened his hand.

"Hey, it's my commlink!" she said.

"Maybe he thought he took off your audio receptor," First Aid said.

xxx

Blades woke up in a dimly lit room.

"Where am I?"

He got up and looked and felt around.

The only source of light was on the ceiling and he couldn't find an exit.

xxx

"What shall we do without captives, master?" Darksyde asked Rotors.

"Send the message," Rotors tapped his fingers as he watched the video feed of the captive known as 'Blades'. "I want First Aid. _My_ First Aid. He is nearly an adult."

"And of the old one?"

Rotors smirked. "Remember that 'Sky Forest' that dark skinned female you created? Put him under it and set the timers. We will see who they save."

"Prevent a crushing death or one of vivisection."

xxx

"Guys!" Boulder ran into the med bay. "You need to see this! It's about Blades!"

The entire rescue team was looking at the message.

"What does it say?" Kade asked.

"Basically, if they want Blades and Red Alert back alive, they have to give First Aid to the baddies. If they don't, they have to choose who to save," Jackie said.

"What if they decide to wait until First Aid's an adult?" Dani asked.

Almost immediately, another message appeared on the screen. Along with it were two videos.

A scared Blades was strapped to a table.

Red Alert was tied up, out cold, and leaking energon from a head wound.

"We don't have a choice," First Aid said. "I'll surrender myself to save them."

"We're being hacked," Jackie calmly said as she opened her backpack.

"Phew!" Brains said as he popped his head out. "Smells like a zoo in there!"

"Goats are supposed to be smelly!" Wheelie said.

"Track the hacker, Brains," Jackie said.

Heatwave dragged First Aid out of the monitor room by the arm as Brains began counter hacking.

(A/N: this conversation escalates quickly.)

"What in the Pits of Kaon were you _thinking_?!" Heatwave sat the medic on his bed.

"H-he'll let me go when he's done," First Aid squeaked.

"What if he kills you or-or worst!?" Heatwave grabbed the medic's shoulders.

"I'm not afraid to die. I was actually in a war, not asleep, like you and the others."

"There has to be another way."

"Rotors never really... went inside me..."

"What are you- no! No! We are not doing anything like that!"

"I know Rotors! He won't touch me or hurt me if we at least spark bond!"

"Heatwave, Brains found Red Alert, but he can't find Blades. How do we save them both?" Chroma asked.

"Rotors won't hurt Blades if I spark bond with Heatwave," First Aid said.

"What?!" Chroma looked in horror at Heatwave.

"I did NOT agree to it!" Heatwave defended.

Then everyone heard a low whirring and saw the lights flicker, spark, and go out.

"I stopped the hacker!" Brains called out. "I caused an island wide power outage, but I stopped the hacker!"

xxx

"We know for a fact that Red Alert is on Wayward Island. Chroma and Boulder will go there and get him. Brains, Graham, try to contact Optimus Prime's team. First Aid and I will meet Rotors at the location he gave us before Brains totaled the power. Everyone else, help the citizens," Heatwave ordered.

"But we need to-"

"No, First Aid! We discussed this and we are NOT doing it!"

"Team, we know what we have to do, so let's go!" Chief Burns said.

xxx

Boulder and Chroma were desperately trying to stop the Sky Forrest from crashing unconscious Red Alert.

"Red!" Chroma yelled. "Wake up! Please!"

"Chroma, I'll hold this up! Go get Red Alert!" Boulder said.

Chroma took a shaky breath and ran under the collapsing structure.

xxx

First Aid was holding onto Heatwave for dear life.

"This'll be over soon," Heatwave reassured. "I won't let him hurt you."

A ground bridge opened in front of them and four mechs came out. Rotors, his two lackeys, and Blades.

"There we go," Rotors said as his lackeys shoved Blades to Heatwave. "Now, hand over First Aid."

First Aid walked through the bridge with the other three.

xxx

(A/N: First Aid says a lie.)

"We have so much to catch up on, buddy!" Rotors put his arm around First Aid's waist.

"What have you been up to?" First Aid asked.

"To move on after you left, but I couldn't. I still love you."

"Well I have a conjuex. You've met him."

Rotors stopped walking and let go of First Aid. "W-what's his name?"

"Heatwave, the red one."

"Were you... intimate?"

"Very," First Aid smirked behind his mask.

Rotors grabbed First Aid's arm and dragged him to a ground bridge station. He began typing in coordinates.

xxx

(A/N: two Cybertronian curse words.)

"Do you know what happened to you?" Heatwave asked Blades.

"Red Alert and I were talking about the gestalt First Aid was in and something knocked us out," Blades said.

"What was Red Alert doing on Wayward Island?"

"Same thing I was; tracking the signal. How are we going to get First Aid back?"

"We have a plan."

A ground bridge opened in front of them.

"W- Is THIS part of the plan?" Blades asked.

"No," Heatwave said.

Rotors stepped out of the portal and threw First Aid at Blades.

"D'oh!" Blades grunted as First Aid landed on him.

"You sonovaglitch!" Rotors slammed Heatwave into the ground, pinned him, and punched him repeatedly in the head until he knocked him out.

"You'll give him head trauma!" First Aid grabbed Rotors arm.

"Frag off, you _**SLUT**_ _!"_ Rotors spat.

He shoved First Aid away and threw Heatwave over his shoulder before running through the ground bridge.

xxx

Chase was holding a shaking Chroma.

"It's okay," he said. "Not every mission goes as planned."

"You don't understand!" Chroma said. "We lost another medic!"

"I'm certain that Red Alert new the risks of the war."

Chase began to rock her back and forth as she sobbed.

"I'm just thankful Primus spared your spark," he said.

xxx

Dani and Jackie were drinking hot cocoa as they waited for the 'mission complete, send in the MHQ' signal in the MHQ.

"Quiet is awkward," Jackie said.

"Can't argue with that," Dani said.

"Wanna talk about stuff?"

"Sure. Is there a boy you like?"

"Define 'like'."

"Are you in love?"

"With 'Cup of Noodles', TV, and internet."

Dani laughed a bit. "You sound like a college student."

"Do you think Graham and Lindsy will last?"

"It'll be over by New Year's."

"I think First Aid's in love with Heatwave."

"Pssh! Yeah, right!"

"No, I mean it! I can tell!"

"I doubt it! When I showed you a calm face, you said 'constipated'."

"Not by face; by pheromones. Sometimes I go a little bit dragon when excited, when First Aid knows Heatwave's in the same room as him, his pheromones change. Heatwave is starting to do the same."

A beeping noise started and coordinates showed up.

"Mission complete!" Jackie ran to the computers and pressed the 'teleport' button.

After the teleport, Jackie, who accidently went dragon, pushed open the door.

xxx

"Where's Heatwave?" Dani asked as Jackie sniffed around.

"R-R-Rotors took him!" First Aid exclaimed.

xxx

"Ugh! Jackie, if you're gonna throw a party, don't like energon!" Wheelie said as he sent the party canceled text.

Jackie growled as she continued to lap up Heatwave's energon.

"Hey, leave some energon for me to sniff!" K-9 said.

"We'll help," Boulder said as he and Bulkhead led Jackie away.

"Something's off about her," Arcee said. "She looks bigger... and metallic."

"(And she has a red hue to her,)" Bumblebee added.

"Did she just go transmetal?" Miko asked.

"What th- Miko! I told you to stay at the base!" Bulkhead said.

"I can't get a good scent," K-9 said. "I don't think I can track him."

"Maybe Jackie can," Miko said. "She looks like Heatwave and he has a very good sense of smell."

"That is true," Optimus Prime said. "Jacqueline, would you like to help?"

Jackie went back to sniffing, then she got prepared to fly.

"Wait, let me put on a tracker on you," Arcee said as she tried to put a tracker on Jackie.

To everyone's surprise, the magnet on it worked.

Then Jackie took off.

"AAHHH!" Wheelie screamed before Arcee caught him.

xxx

(A/N: okay, Rotors is REALLY messed up!)

"How is the red one?" Darksyde asked as Rotors exited the small bedroom.

"Still out cold," Rotors took a damp, clean rag from a servant and cleaned some red paint from his chest. "All I got from the spark-rape was that he used go on lots of dates, bisexual, and refused to sparkbond with First Aid."

"What will you do with him?"

"Hmm..." Rotors smirked. "Come to think of it, He also have Hermathus Syndrome."

"He has a gestation chamber? Wait! You're not going to-"

"This'll be fun!" Rotors went back to the room

xxx

"Razor," Arcee said via comm. "Do you still have sight of Jackie?"

 _"No, but the tracker's still working."_

"Let us know when she finds something."

 _"No problem. Over and out."_

Over and out," Arcee said as she turned off the mic.

"Hey, Arcee, you didn't sound like you trust Razor," Blades said. "Why is that?"

"Oh, nothing. She's just the big sister of my arch enemy," Arcee sarcastically answered.

xxx

Razor flew through a cloud bank and saw Jackie sitting on... nothing?

"I think Jackie found something!" Razor said.

 _"What is it?"_ Arcee asked.

"I don't know. Rotors ship, maybe?"

 _"'Maybe'? What do you mean 'maybe'?"_

"It's invisible. I'll go scout it with Jackie."

As Razor got closer, she could see the outline of a spacecraft around the size of the Harbinger.

She transformed and almost fell off the ship, but Jackie caught her.

"All we need to do now is-"

Jackie tore a hole in the hull of the ship.

"That'll do for an entrance."

They walked through the hole.

xxx

Heatwave sobbed as she curled up on the bed.

 _What did First Aid say to him?!_

The door opened and Heatwave went into the fetal position.

"C'mon, Heatwave! We have to go!" a femme said.

Heatwave stood up, but his legs buckled up.

Razor and Jackie helped him escape.

xxx

The entire Rescue Team and Ratchet were on the Broadside, waiting for news on Heatwave's condition.

"I can't believe Heatwave was raped," Raychel said.

"I didn't know the bots had gonads," TJ said.

"Dude!" Kade said.

"What? If you encounter an alien creature, don't you wonder how it makes babies?"

The response was a yes/no mixture.

An annoyed hiss came from Jackie.

"How long is she gonna be like that?" Raychel asked.

"A few days, give or take," Ratchet said.

"I wonder why Rotors didn't do anything to First Aid." Chase asked.

"What did you say to him?" Boulder asked First Aid.

"I-I-I told him th-that Heatwave and I were conjunx," First Aid activated his mask and visor.

"What!?" all Cybertronians screamed.

"Wait, are you?" Dani asked.

"Why would you ask that?!" Blades asked Dani.

"Well, Jackie and I were talking and she said that she thought First Aid had a crush on Heatwave."

Jackie nodded.

"That's untrue! What evidence does she have?" Ratchet asked.

"She said she could tell by pheromones," Dani said.

"I knew I wasn't the only one who smelt it!" K-9 proudly said.

"First Ai- where did he go?" Ratchet looked around.

xxx

"Razor's running tests from your exam right now," Air Raid told Heatwave. "We'll come back later with the results. Get some rest for now."

"Th-thanks," Heatwave walked into the private recovery room.

"Don't forget to take the medicine she gave you."

"I-I won't."

After Air Raid left, Heatwave put the cup of liquid medicine on the nightstand and sat on the bed in the dark.

A knock came from the door before it slowly opened.

"Razor?" Heatwave looked up.

First Aid nervously waved.

"It's my fault this happened," he said. "I said we were conjunx. I was trying to stall, like you said. I'm sorry," First Aid drooped his head.

"I-It's okay," Heatwave said. "To be honest, I'm just glad you were untouched."

"Cool if I come in?"

Heatwave patted the spot next to him on the bed.

xxx

"Are you sure Razor's okay with us using her stuff to examine Jackie?" Cody asked Ratchet.

"Yes. Try not to fall off of Jackie," Ratchet said as he and Blades led Jackie as Cody held onto one of her horns as he stood on her head.

Jackie shuttered as they walked in the med bay.

"Whoa!" Cody held onto the horn with both arms and legs.

"Okay, ride's over!" Blades held out his hand for Cody to climb on.

Jackie nervously got onto an exam table and shuttered again. She let out an uncomfy growl.

"I know, it's cold. Cody, can you hand me one of the data pads I told you to put in your bag?" Ratchet asked.

Cody handed him one, which grew as Ratchet grabbed it.

"Here, have fun," he gave Jackie the data pad and she read it as Ratchet scanned her.

"How did she learn to read Cybertronian?" Cody asked.

"She just knows," Ratchet said as began to draw her blood.

Jackie gave a curious growl and pointed at a word.

"Do you want to know what a term means?" Blades looked at the word and his eyes widened. "Cody, can you hand her a different data pad?"

"Sure," the data pad Cody gave her had games on it. "What was the word in the story she was reading?"

"A war crime."

"I had no idea that the military had aircraft carriers this big!" Graham said to the engineer.

xxx

"The _Broadside_ is a mile long," the engineer said.

"How much did the building cost?"

"Nothing. He was a Cybertronian."

"Was?"

"He still functions as a boat, but he's dead."

xxx

"It appears that Jackie has shifter CNA in addition to predicon CNA in her DNA," Ratchet said as he looked at her blood test.

"How'd _that_ happen?" Blades asked.

"Maybe a shifter and a predicon had a baby, the baby grew up, and had a baby with a human," Cody suggested.

"That's good enough for me," Ratchet said.

"But _how_ did the mix and the human make babies?" Blades asked.

Jackie growled and held two claws a foot away, brought them close until they were one inch apart and growled again.

xxx

"Are you okay with Jackie following us?" Air Raid asked Razor.

"Yes," Razor said. "And read Heatwave's medical file, so we have to keep her from chatting about it."

Jackie cantered to the recovery room and opened to door. Two distinct screams and a dragon shriek followed.

"The frag?!" Air Raid pulled out his blaster and ran into the room.

"Don't revoke my Rescue Bot status!" Heatwave yelled as Razor ran in.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Not making out!" First Aid said under the bed. "Damn it!"

"Get outta there!" Air Raid pulled First Aid out from under the bed. "We need to talk with Heatwave in private."

First Aid left.

"Pl-please don't revoke my status," Heatwave whimpered.

Razor noticed the spilled medicine on the floor. "I'll get you a new batch of medicine in a little bit. First things first, Jackie read your file, that's why she's here. The tests came back negative, but I want you to stay here for a few more days."

"Why?"

"You have Hermathus. We want to make sure that you aren't gestating."

"I don't think I will. It's not that advanced."

"We just want to be safe. The bruises on your face will heal, too."

xxx

"You're WHAT?!" Ratchet exclaimed.

"I-I'm homosexual," First Aid squeaked.

"I heard you the first time. H-how long have you been a queer?"

"Heatwave helped me figure it out."

"How? Tell me you didn't interface!"

"W-we made out."

Ratchet groaned as he put a hand on his face. "How did I not know this?"

"Would it be okay if I dated Heatwave?"

"Too soon! And you're not an adult yet!"

"I'll be an adult on the 31st!"

xxx

"We'll dock _Broadside_ a mile or two off of the island's coast, you can visit Jackie and Heatwave all you want while they recover," Razor said before the team left.

"Jackie, I'll send you your class and homework," Brains said.

"I'll help her with her math," Heatwave said.

"See you guys in a few days," Cody said.

Jackie growled "Yeah."

Heatwave looked at the calendar Razor gave him.

"Three weeks 'til the test," he sighed.

He heard a curious growl in his doorway.

"Let me guess, Jackie, you want to know what happened?"

Jackie growled and nodded her head.

"And you want to know about the war crime?"

Same answer.

Heatwave took a deep breath. "C'mon, I'll tell you."

Jackie walked in.


	14. Virtual Disaster

"Heatwave? Heatwave!" Razor said as she clacked her stylus against her tablet, getting Heatwave's attention.

"Huh? Whu-what?" Heatwave asked.

"You spaced out. What's going on?"

"I've just had some trouble recharging. Probably nothing serious."

"Do you think it's because of your assault?"

"No. No. I'm fine. I'm over it."

"Spark rape and rape are very traumatizing. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I told you."

"Are you having trouble from the miscarriage?"

"Uh... um... uh..." Heatwave looked at his feet.

"Still not ready to talk about that. How has your team been since your sleep-fighting incident?"

"Pretty good, well, considering I caused all the bots to miss a week of December."

"What did you miss?"

"Just some Yulefest. Can I go now?"

"Not yet. How is yours and First Aid's relationship going?"

"W-we've been thinking of moving in together," Heatwave blushed.

"Have you been intimate?"

"No! well... we almost were last night."

"What happened?"

"I had a panic attack. Gave him a black eye. the others had to pin me down while Blades gave me something to calm down."

"How often are these panic attacks?"

"It's the first one. Look, can I go _now_?"

"One more question; Do the humans know?"

"Jackie blabbed about it."

"Okay, Heatwave, you can go," Razor handed Heatwave a blank data pad and stylus. "I want you to use this to write down as a journal. I'll see you next week."

"Yeah," Heatwave got up to leave.

"Would you like a ground bridge to the island?"

"Sure."

xxx

The next day, at the firehouse, Heatwave was writing in his journal as the rest of the bots did their morning routines: Blades watching TV; Boulder sketching; Chase and Chroma doing exercises; and First Aid studying.

"Woo-hoo!" Cody slid down the fire pole. "Snow day!"

"Now they tell us!" Jackie and Abby exited the elevator.

"What's a 'snow day'?" Boulder asked.

"There's so much snow that they canceled school," Jackie said.

"Which means we can hang out today. It's not safe to travel," Cody said.

"Team, a rocket skier is stranded on Mount Griffin!" Chief Burns said.

"Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue!"

"Am I the only one who hear-"

"Blades, you're with Jackie. Dani has to 'drive' First Aid."

"Good luck," Chroma said.

"You're coming, too."

"Ugh!"

xxx

 _"Jackie_ _, what do you see?"_ Chief asked.

Jackie swallowed a special transmutate gummy from a package Ratchet had sent her. Her dragon eyes activated and she looked through the binoculars. "I see a guy who didn't think his invention all the way through."

"Y-you th-think?!" Chroma shivered.

Jackie saw him fall.

"Oh, no!" Blades shouted.

"Oh, relax. He's just out cold," Jackie said.

"I got this!" Heatwave said as he transformed.

"Whoa! Oof! I guess I got it, too," Chroma had lost her grip on the winch.

A rumble came from the mountain.

 _"Gee, Kade, what did you eat for breakfast?_ " Heatwave asked.

"Dudes, there's an avalanche," Jackie said.

"Aw, great!" Chroma said when they saw the avalanche coming right at them.

Heatwave grabbed the skier and reached for Blades' hook. Blades panicked and pulled away.

 _"Dammit, Blades!"_ Heatwave shouted.

The avalanche swept the two bots off their feet.

"Hang on, Heatwave!" Chroma activated her blaster/grappling hook and grabbed Heatwave's hose. She shot her hook at Blades' winch.

Blades let out a high-pitched yelp and dropped 20 feet before rising very quickly.

First Aid used his force fields to protect the others.

Heatwave screamed and Kade almost hurled when Chroma lost her grip on Heatwave's hose. He quickly grabbed her ankle.

First Aid and Dani rushed the skier to the hospital when the three bots and humans landed.

"That was awesome! I wouldn't do it again, but it was awesome!" Kade said as Jackie exited Blades. "Awesome move, Blades!"

"That wasn't me..." Blades groaned as he transformed onto his hands and knees. "I got a grappling hook to the winch..."

"Oh, mech up!" Chroma struggled to retrieve her hook. She yanked her arm several times.

Blades shrieked when the hook pulled out his winch and started to leak energon. He passed out.

"Cody, contact Razor, please," Chroma commed.

xxx

The ground bridge opened and Air Raid carried in a sleepy Blades.

"Blades is pretty doped up, so he might sound drunk or on drugs," he said before leaving.

"I can't believe Blades chickened out!" Heatwave said. "He wouldn't have gotten hurt if he stuck to the plan."

"I think he made a good choice," Jackie said as she looked at the various board and video games.

Blades muttered something, but no one knew what he said.

"How about we play a few games for now?" Chroma asked as she pulled out a board game.

Everyone thought it was a good idea.

xxx

Heatwave rolled the dice as they played the game Chroma choose.

"Double sixes," Cody said, "sorry, Heatwave, you have to move four spaces back."

Heatwave muttered Cybertronian curse words as he walked away.

"Why is he so mad?" Jackie asked.

"Probably a few things going on, lately," First Aid said as he got up to follow Heatwave.

Chase checked on the harbor via comm for the tenth time.

"Here we go again," Chroma got up to turn off his comm.

"I have to help Graham with his homework," Boulder said.

"Who wants to play something else?" Jackie asked.

"We could play one of those video games you have, Cody," Blades said as he stood up.

"I beat them all," Cody said, "but there's a new game we can play."

"Is it here? Why can't we replay an old game?" Jackie asked.

xxx

"Doc Greene's made a virtual reality chamber in the Hall of Inspiration," Cody said as the three traveled through the tunnels. Blades was walking, Jackie was on her horse, and Cody was on his hoverboard. "He said Frankie and I could use it, but they're on the mainland. I don't think he'll mind if we use it."

"Okay, but as soon as we get there, I'm going to do something," Jackie said.

"Why?" Blades asked.

"None of your business!"

xxx

"Chroma! Give me that comm blocker!" Chase ran after the femme. "I need it for insuring the people's safety!"

"You're annoying the people, BAE!" Chroma said as she ran into Chase's room.

"Wait, what did you call me?" Chase asked as soon as he closed the door after he entered.

"'BAE', as in 'Before Anyone Else'," Chroma put two fingers on his chest.

Chase blushed a bit. "W-we're that far along in our relationship? W-we've just been romantic interests for two months."

"Well, maybe it's time we go steady," Chroma started to pull him to the bed.

"Do we have to tell the others?"

"Jackie and K-9 caught a whiff of our pheromones. I think the others know."

"Yes, you're probably right. What do people who date do?"

Chroma smirked before kissing him on the lips.

"Whoa!" Chase took a couple of steps back. "Cybertronians don't really do that! As a fellow member of our species, you should know that."

"Cybertronians _do_ kiss, just in private."

"Yes, but they are conjuex."

"Well, not all abide by those rules."

"Like Gyps!"

Chroma's jaw dropped. "You did not just say that!"

"Yes I did!" Chase crossed his arms. "They break a lot of rules. Why are you so shocked?"

"I'm _half_ Gypsy!"

"On what side?" Chase asked more calm.

"My dad's."

"I didn't mean to offend you," Chase held her in his arms.

"Well, purebreds like you can be very by the book when it comes to love."

Chase nuzzled her neck. "I don't have to be. I'll even procreate with you right now."

"Wait? _Now_ , now?"

"No. I don't even know why I said that!"

"We'll do baby steps," Chroma kissed his lips and Chase tightened his embrace and kissed back a little.

xxx

Blades, Cody, and Jackie stood outside the open VR chambers.

"They look like the boxes for that 80's mecha anime I told you about," Jackie said.

The trio walked into each chamber and the door closed.

Blades yelped when a holographic helmet went on his head.

Everything went fuzzy, dark, pixelated, and then they were in the game.

"We're chibi!" Jackie threw her arms up in excitement.

"Where's the snow? How did we get outside? Why are we so shiny?" Blades asked.

"We're in the game," Cody said, "all of this is virtual."

Blades tried to transform. "Something's wrong!"

"I think the game limits what we do," Jackie said.

"Oh. Hey, do you think you can go dragon?"

Jackie shrugged her shoulders. "I'll try if I have to."

 _"Hello,"_ a purple cat with glasses appeared.

Jackie and Blades screamed, and Jackie went dragon.

"Hm, guess I can. Wait! I can talk?! My vocal cords usually change when this happens! What's going on, Kitty?" Jackie asked.

 _"My name is C.A.T. Computer assist technology. Your unique biology has been scanned by the program and allows you to transmutate. In the game, you can communicate with other players. The game is called 'Element Quest 1.0'. There are three levels: water, earth, and fire-"_ the map showed up _"- you will start at Level One: Water. If you wish to stop, say 'end game'. Good luck!"_ C.A.T. went away.

Jackie breathed a little fire ring. "Never done that before."

xxx

Chase was sitting on his bed with Chroma.

"So if we kiss for 10 minutes, you'll turn off the jammer?" he asked.

"Yep," Chroma said. "10 minutes. Minimal breaks."

"I got knots and butterflies in my belly."

"They'll go away soon," Chroma straddled him, put her arms around his neck and shoulders, and kissed him.

Chase got really nervous. "I-I've never had a femme do this to me before!"

"Do you want to use your comm or not?"

Chase closed his eyes and kissed her back. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. He got feelings in a new way for her.

xxx

Dani opened her laptop to video chat with the twins and Ally.

 _"Hi, Dani,"_ Ally said. _"Are we waiting for the twins?"_

"Yep," Dani said.

 _"Hi, Dani! Hi, Ally!"_ the twins said in unison.

"How's everyone doing?"

A little kid shrieked and threw a snowball at Ally. _"Hey!_ _Man, I hate family reunions. Well, I'm mostly okay. Stuck babysitting, though."_

" _Yeah, our family went overboard with Christmas décor_ ," Raychel said.

 _"Train set's awesome, right?"_ T.J. turned the computer to show the elaborate set.

"That is pretty cool," Dani said. "So, are you helping take down the decorations?"

 _"Yep,"_ the twins said.

 _"Hey, you didn't ask me how Christmas was,"_ Ally said.

 _"Because you're Muslim,"_ T.J. said.

 _"We had a mini Christmas. We only bought each other what we needed. I got snow tires for Chroma from my uncle, the one that owns the auto shop,"_ Ally said.  
 _  
"Oh,"_ T.J. said.

 _"WHOA!"_ a man fell off the roof of the house the twins were at.

"What was that?" Dani asked.

 _"Uncle Murr,"_ Raychel said.

 _"We'll talk later!"_ T.J. said before they signed off.

 _"Yeah, I better sign off, too. My cousins are getting restless,"_ Ally said.

xxx

 _"Level One: Water,"_ C.A.T. said.

The trio pixelated on a boat.

"Wow, I un-transmutated fast!" Jackie said.

"Aw, dolphins!" Blades reached out to pet what he thought was a sea mammal.

"That's a shark."

Blades yelped and brought his hand back.

"Don't worry, Blades, we can't get hurt in the game," Cody said.

"Oh, but I'm not gonna risk it," Blades said.

"Comin' in hot!" Jackie pointed at the barrels flying right at them before turning on the boat engine.

Cody took over the driving.

"Jackie, can you use your dragon vision to look for more barrels and power ups?" he asked.

"It'll take about 30 hours before it's completely out of my system. "I'm sure I can," Jackie said.

"Is that a 'power up'?" Blades asked as he pointed an exclamation point.

"Get it!"

Blades grabbed and it gave them a force field. The barrels bounced right off.

"This won't be permanent," Jackie said. "Blades, reach to the right of the boat and up!"

Blades caught another power up. A handheld object.

"Yay! I got-" the power up was some sort of air cannon. "- blow drying?"

"Air cannon. Quick, use it!" Jackie pointed at the barrels.

Blades used it and the barrels flew away. "Blow drying!"

"AIR CANNON!"

"Why do you think it's an air cannon?" Cody asked.

"Brains helped make the game. He told me about some of the power ups."

"Uh, is _that_ the boss?" Blades pointed at the squid throwing the barrels.

Jackie yelped and got under the seat she was standing on. "Kill it!"

Blades looked at the air cannon, then the bulls eye by the squid. He aimed carefully and blew one of the barrels at the bull's eye. It made contact and defeated the boss.

The trio got the blue flag the boss was guarding.

 _"Level complete. You win!"_ C.A.T. said.

xxx

Heatwave was in his bed, cuddling and talking with First Aid.

"I just don't understand why Blades is such a wuss all the time. If he can't handle an emergency, then why did he become a Rescue Bot?" Heatwave said.

"Well, you're still traumatized about your assault, but you're not a wuss. Maybe Blades is as tough as you are in here," First Aid put a hand on Heatwave's chest.

"I am NOT traumatized! I'm just a bit jumpy these days. And, besides, it was over two months ago!"

"Giving me a black eye may be more than just 'jumpy'. We don't know why Blades is the way he is, but he's still a good medic."

"A human could have died!"

"Blades' instinct was to pull back. I've seen members of my team rely on their instincts all the time. I've even done so myself."

"You're not telling me you agree with Jackie," Heatwave said as he sat up.

"Just let it go," First Aid began to kiss Heatwave. "and since today is our day off, why don't we have some fun?"

"Uhh, interface one or two?" Heatwave blushed.

"Whichever one you're most comfortable with."

"Th-then, two, I guess. I don't think I can spark bond right now."

"You can do me, if you're gentile."

"Trust me, I don't want to hurt you."

First Aid got up and dimmed the lights while Heatwave got the bed and himself ready.

xxx

 _"Level two: Fire,"_ C.A.T. said.

"I thought the next was earth," Blades said.

 _"I'm still in the testing phase."_

 _xxx_

K-9 was hiding under the kitchen table.

"Hey, K-9," Chief said. "What are you doing under there?"

"The thunder," K-9 tried to cover his ears.

"Thunder?" Chief looked out the window to see a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder.

K-9 yelped.

"The bots will want to see this," Chief said.

"Is the guy from the Weather Channel here or what?!" K-9 said.

xxx

Heatwave and Chase were watching a show called '1000 Ways to Die'.

"Why are we watching this?" Chase asked.

"Jackie said it was a good way to learn about the human body," Heatwave said.

"Oh, thank Primus! It went to commercial!"

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, Chroma and I are a couple now."

"What? No, way!"

"It's true. She's teaching me couple things."

Heatwave laughed.

"What about you and First Aid?" Chase asked.

Heatwave stopped laughing. "We were almost intimate again. I ruined the moment."

"You didn't hit him again, did you?"

"No, I said something really, really weird."

"What did you say?"

"Chase," Chief said, "Cody, Jackie, and Blades are in the Hall of Inspiration, which was just struck by lightning."

"I understand," Chase stood up. "Heatwave, do you want to finish our conversation later?"

"No, I'm done talking," Heatwave laid down on the couch.

xxx

"We're back where we started," Jackie said. "I bet we gotta get a red flag."

"Did anyone just feel tingly?" Blades asked.

"It was probably nothing," Cody reassured.

 _ **THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!**_

The boss showed up. A huge dragon with teeny weeny wings.

It breathed fire right by them.

"Am I the only one who felt the heat?" Jackie asked.

The dragon breathed fire at them again.

Blades protected the humans and got burned.

"You're burnt!" Cody shouted.

"It hurts more than it looks," Blades said.

"The flag's at the stage! You guys get it and I'll distract Godzuzu!" Jackie went dragon.

"What the heck is 'Godzuzu'?" Blades asked.

"We'll look it up later!" Cody said as they ran to the stage.

"C.A.T., please end the game!"

 _"S-system e-error!"_ C.A.T. said.

"Why didn't we replay your old games!?" Blades asked Cody.

"Oh, no! The flag's all the way up there!" Cody pointed at the flag in midair.

"Pull the sword!" Jackie shouted before she stuck the enemy's head in her mouth.

"Wow," Blades said.

Cody and Blades pulled the sword in the middle of the stage and rose to the level of the other three platforms. The flag was at the other end.

"Phew! Take that, mean dragon!" Blades said.

Cody noticed bits of their platform furthest from the flag disappearing. "We have to jump to the next one!"

"What?! No!"

"Come on, I'll go first!" Cody leapt to the second platform.

Jackie spat out the other dragon's head. "I don't know how long I can keep this up!"

"I don't want to jump!" Blades protested.

"Then _FALL!_ "

"Fine! I'll do it!" Blades jumped and landed on the second platform. "Yay! I made it! We're safe!"

"We have to keep going," Cody said.

Blades groaned.

xxx

Chase forced the doors of the Hall of Inspiration, so he and Chief Burns could enter.

Some of the machines were sparking.

"Looks like the storm shorted them out," Chief said. "Let's see if the kids and Blades are here."

The two walked over to the VR chambers and saw Chroma looking around.

"Chroma!" Chase yelped. "W-what are you doing here?!"

"I was checking the cameras when I saw lighting hit the building. I sent a text to Brains since the comms can't really get past the storm very well," she said, "and the kids are here." She held up the commtab.

Chief knocked on the VR door. "All right, guys, come out!"

"I tried it already. They can't hear us."

"If I may," Chase went to open the doors, but got a huge electric shock. "Apparently, I may not..." he passed out.

* * *

Blades and Cody jumped onto the last platform and the flag caught fire and went up one story.

"Now what?" Blades asked.

"We have to figure it out. That's what makes games so fun," Cody said.

"Pay attention!" Jackie yelled.

Cody yelped when the platform under him dissolved.

Blades grabbed Cody's leg.

"Blades, let me go," Cody said.

"No! If you fall, I fall!" Blades got serious.

"You'll get invincibility!" Jackie shouted.

The entire platform dissolved and the boys fell.

Jackie shot up and caught the two in midair. "You guys okay?"

"You got bigger!" Cody said wide eyed.

"Huh? Well, what do you? I did! Get ready to grab the flag, Blades!"

"He's out cold!"

* * *

 _A Rescue Bot in training Blades yawned in his bed as he woke up. he turned to his then femmefriend, who was still recharging. He kissed her cheek before getting ready for class._

* * *

"It looks like the game is connected to their minds," Graham said.

"What if we turn it off?" Kade asked.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Brains ran in.

"Wow, that's the fastest I've seen him run," Wheelie said.

"If we turn off the game, we could short out their brains! They have to complete the game!" Brains fainted.

"Cody and Jackie can handle themselves, but Blades is probably frozen in fear. Is there a way I can get in the game?" Heatwave asked.

"Boulder and I will build the console," Graham said.

There was a power surge.

"The snow is damaging the power lines!" Boulder said.

"You guys get the snow off the lines, I'll create a charge in case we need it!" First Aid said.

"I'll help!" Chroma adjusted her Taser.

"Brains, wake up!" Wheelie slapped Brains awake. "Help Graham, Chroma, and First Aid with the game!"

"All right!" Brains plugged into the game and Kept track of the trio.

* * *

 _"Level Three: Earth."_

"C'mon, Jackie, this way!" Cody said.

"I am. And stop hiding your puberty," she said.

"Hey!"

"Look, I'm just glad we have some peace," Blades said. He yelled and fell off dragon Jackie. "Ow! I took an arrow to the knee!"

Jackie picked him up and ran with Cody behind a large boulder.

"All the trees are booby trapped!" Cody said.

"No, just this first third," Jackie said after she took off Blades' arrow. "We can use that shield," still, dragon, she stood up. "Climb on."

The boys mounted her. [like a horse]

Jackie grabbed the shield.

"Hi-yo, Jackie!" Blades said.

"Really, dude?"

"Sorry."

Jackie took off galloping. "Anyone else hear the Lone Ranger theme?"

"Yep," the boys said.

* * *

The snow removal was going good... until a branch fell and broke the power lines.

Graham gasped. "We're losing power!"

"Chroma! First Aid! Now!" Brains said.

"Should we step back?" K-9 asked.

"Way back!"

"Wait, what?" Chroma asked.

"It's just a precaution," First Aid said.

They used their electric units to power the game, but also got a huge electric feedback.

* * *

Jackie saw the boulder rolling at them and ran the other way.

"I feel slow!" she said.

* * *

"It's barely working!" Graham shouted.

"Key word 'working'," Brains said.

"We need the power back!"

* * *

Heatwave kicked Kade out, grabbed the wires, and put the ends together.

* * *

"Power's back up! You two can stop!" Brains told Chroma and First Aid.

The two bots screamed as a jolt of electricity shot them back.

* * *

The speed got back to normal.

Jackie dodged to the left. "Phew!"

"This game has some giant bugs!" Cody said.

"There's gonna be bugs?!" Blades exclaimed.

 _"No! There was a power outage!"_ Brains said. _"You guys okay?"_

"We are," Jackie said.

* * *

Chase fused the power line back together.

Heatwave groaned and fell.

"Nice going, Heatwave!" Kade offered his fist.

Heatwave returned the fist bump and accidently shocked Kade.

Kade yelped as he fell.

"I wouldn't touch him for a few minutes," Boulder said.

 _"Heatwave, we got the console ready!"_ Graham said. " _It's not pretty, but it will connect you to the game!"_

Heatwave pounded his fists. "I'm ready to play!"

* * *

"Yay! The last flag!" Blades jumped off Jackie.

"Wait! This is where the 'Wizard of Oz' reference is!" Jackie said.

A bunch of tree monsters surrounded them.

"Cody, can you let me know if any trees sneak up on me while I attack the others?" Jackie asked.

"I will," Cody said.

Blades and Jackie fought the trees.

Heatwave pixelated in. "What the-? Blades?! You're okay!"

"Yeah," Blades said. "Aren't you afraid?"

"A-afraid? I came to help!"

A tree monster slammed him.

"This game simulates pain?!" he exclaimed.

"The games glitching!" Jackie said. "Cody get the flag!"

"On it!" Cody jumped off.

The other three fought for a good two minutes before the heard Cody scream.

"The griffin's the final boss?!" Blades exclaimed.

 _"Cool, right?"_ Brains asked.

"No!" everyone said.

"Blades, climb up!" Jackie said. "Heatwave, can you handle these trees?"

"Yep," Heatwave said.

Jackie flew Blades to the mountain, let him off, and distracted the boss.

Blades ran to the flag, but the boss got in front of him. The flag was in between them.

Blades quickly grabbed the flag as the boss attacked.

The boss pixelated away as the others pixelated in.

 _"Element Quest complete,_ "C.A.T. said. _"A winner is you!"_

* * *

Heatwave took off the helmet as the other three walked out of the VR chambers.

"Cody, you're okay!" Chief said as he hugged his son.

"I am now!" Cody said.

"Virtual reality is more dangerous that _real_ reality!" Blades said.

"Anyone else smell sulfur?" K-9 asked.

* * *

Heatwave finished telling the team how Blades fought the tree monsters.

"Weren't you scared?" First Aid asked.

"I was TERRIFIED!" Blades said. "But Cody and Jackie needed help."

"Is that not the definition of courage?" Chase asked Heatwave.

"Yeah," First Aid crossed his arms.

"Well, if Blades is as scared as often he says he is, he may be the bravest of us all," Heatwave said.

"There is one thing I still don't understand, why do humans like snow days?" Chase asked.

"You'll find out once we go sledding down Breakneck Slope," Cody said.

Everyone said 'no'.

"Didn't someone die there?" Chroma asked.

"I got Just Dance!" Jackie said.


	15. Valentine's Special

(A/N: love talk)

Chase and Chief Burns were on patrol on February tenth.

"Chief Burns, I have a question," Chase said.

"Fire away," Chief said.

"I want to give Chroma roses on Valentine's Day, can you get them?"

"I'll think about it."

"Thank you."

"How many do you want?"

"144."

"That is way too many. How about 12?"

"12 dozen?"

"No. How are you going to give them to her?"

"Well, on the date and in private."

"The date? Where are you going?"

"One of the closed forest parks."

"Like Blossom Vale?"

"Yes. And another bouquet before intimacy."

"Too much information, Chase!"

"I know! It just came out!"

"You're going to use protection, right?"

"Protection? What do you mean?"

Chief hit the brakes a little too early at the stoplight. Luckily, they were the only ones on the road.

"You know, contraceptives, birth control, condoms," Chief said, "so there's no unplanned babies."

"You mean interface one?" Chief asked.

"Which is?"

"Spark bonding. Very few sparklings are conceived that way."

"What's a spark bond?"

"Well, our sparks contain our spirits and memories. When two bots bond, they open their spark chambers, one lies down, the other gets on top, and puts their spark into their mate's spark chamber. Both sparks temporarily fuse together and they share each other's memories. "It's literally 'two hearts beat as one'. Interface two is less pleasant. It's like humans interfacing."

"Interfacing means sex, right?"

Chase almost gagged. "Yes, and I dislike the 's' word."

"Sorry. How can you guys conceive from a spark bond?"

"Bonding too long or something going wrong ending the bond. Do you have anymore questions?"

"No. How about I get those flowers?" Chief pulled Chase to the curbside.

The flower shop had a really good deal on roses.

xxx

Heatwave walked into First Aid's room and saw said mech packing a bag.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Optimus asked if I could do some medical work while my dad works on decoding synthetic energon. They got most of it already," First Aid said.

"Are you sure you want to go? Your dad wasn't too happy when you came out, and he kind of doesn't like the idea of us being together."

"We're on a break," First Aid closed the bag. "I'll be back in a week, anyways."

Heatwave turned First Aid to face him and pulled him close. "I-I know we're on a break... but can I have a good-bye kiss?"

First Aid moved his hands to Heatwave's latches. "How about several?"

Heatwave's face turned a bright blue as First Aid undid his latches. "Remember, this isn't a hook up!"

xxx

Chroma was helping Cody make paper flowers for the hospital's Valentine's Day party.

"I don't understand why the hospital's throwing a party," she said.

"The lady said it was to try something new," Cody said.

"Speaking of hospitals, I heard that Hayley was in a car accident last night," K-9 said.

"So that's where Kade went," Chroma said.

"I hope she's okay," Cody added.

First Aid walked into the bunker and put down his bag.

"Are you leaving now?" Cody asked.

"No not yet," First Aid walked back to the Sigma.

"I wonder what he's up to."

"You don't need hormones for this one, dude," K-9 said.

"He and Heatwave are gonna- Didn't they break up?"

"They're on a break," Chroma said. "They aren't broken up, just taking a break. That, and I doubt they'll be... you know, for a while."

xxx

Heatwave was in his room, curled up on his bed.

"Want some more good bye kisses?" First Aid said as he lied down next to him.

Heatwave put his arm around First Aid's shoulders. "Ever heard of 'love bites'?"

"No. What are they?"

"Next level kisses, which I'm an expert on," Heatwave moved his hands to First Aid's chest latches.

First Aid put his arms around Heatwave's neck. "Do they hurt?"

Heatwave removed First Aid's chest plate. "Only if you have a sensitive protoform."

xxx

First Aid woke up after his recharge and discovered the side effects of love bites. Mouth shaped bruises.

Heatwave woke up when First Aid yelped. "Something wrong?"

"The love bites left marks!"

"That's what they do. And why I left them on your chest. Uh, oh! I put one on your jaw!"

"What?!" First Aid ran to the mirror in Heatwave's bathroom. "I bet I can hide it with my mask."

xxx

Chase put the small bouquets in the energon cooler, making sure they were hidden.

xxx

Grahams body was shaking a lot.

Lindsy said she was going to show him more of her, and he was very nervous.

"Graham, you ready?" she asked.

"I think," he said.

Lindsy walked out of her bathroom in a tank top and shorts.

Graham's jaw dropped.

Lindsy was wearing human clothes, but she had her natural Pretender skin.

"What the heck?!" Graham exclaimed.

"Interesting, right?" Lindsy turned around, light reflecting off her silver-grey, muscle-like flesh. "Pretenders can change their skin from metallic to organic," she did that. "We're teschno-organic."

"Like Trex?" Graham asked when he calmed down.

"And K-9 and Jackie. Well, maybe not her. You know those 'humans' on Broadside? They're Pretenders, too."

"I heard the Autobots have built in weapons. Do you have any?"

Lindsy transformed her left arm into a blaster and her right into a secondary weapon that looked like Arcee's.

"It's a lot to take in," Lindsy said as her tail flicked.

"You have a tail?!"

"It's prehensile," she picked up her cell phone with her tail.

xxx

First Aid walked into the bunker and saw his father holding his bag.

"What is taking you?" Ratchet asked.

"Uh- I w-was saying good bye to Heatwave," First Aid said.

"According to that hickey, I'd say it was more than that," Ratchet crossed his arms.

"'Hickey'? What's that?"

"Your jaw."

First Aid's eyes widened. He forgot his mask.

"Copper will fix it up," Ratchet said.

"Can I-"

"No, let's go," Ratchet called for a groundbridge.

First Aid sighed. "Yes, sir."

xxx

February 11.

Chroma picked up an outfit from a box she had.

The outfit was for a femme of her size. It had warm colors: reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, and even some purple stitching. It consisted of a red, as humans would say, bikini, a loose, transparent set of orange shirt and pants, a yellow, transparent mask, like the kind you would see in a retelling of an Arabian Knights tale, and a semi-transparent set of crop top and loin cloth, which was pink, and to be put between the bikini and shirt and pants.

It was a conjunx ceremony gift, given to her mother. Her mother never wore it.

"I hope Chase likes it," Chroma put it away.

xxx

Chase couldn't believe it. He tried to make Cody cereal, but when he poured in the milk over the cereal, it caught fire.

"I think I'll just have Pop Tarts," Cody said as Boulder put out the flames.

"This food item was defective!" Chase said.

Everyone rolled their eyes.

"No!" someone screamed.

"That sounds like Heatwave!" Blades said.

"Cody, go upstairs," Boulder said.

"And be ready to contact Razor!" Chase added before the bots ran to the Sigma.

When they got to Heatwave's room, Heatwave was half-armored, sweating, breathing hard, and crying. His bed was a mess, sheets, and pillows all around.

Chroma was trying to calm him down.

"What happened?" Chase asked.

"I don't know. I was in my room when I heard him screaming about someone to stop hurting him, and when I ran in, I found him curled up in a ball," Chroma said.

Chase walked over and put a hand on Heatwave's shoulder. "Are you-"

Heatwave punched Chase in the throat.

Chase collapsed to his hands and knees, holding his throat.

"Oh, Primus!" Chroma looked Chase in the optics. "Are you okay?"

"Sedate him!" Chase choked.

Blades got the sedatives and injected them with Boulder's helped while Chroma commed Razor.

Boulder wrapped Heatwave in a fresh, clean blanket before picking him up. "We're going to see Razor, okay?"

Heatwave nodded before he passed out.

xxx

Heatwave woke up in a medbay. All his armor was gone and he had patient clothes on. As he became more aware of his surrounding, he realized he was in Razor's medbay. He noticed he was also tied to the bed he was on.

"Well, somebot's up!" a female country accent said.

Heatwave turned his head and saw a green femme with a leg cast and crutches in his doorway.

"Wh-who are you?" he asked.

"Emerald. And I know you're Heatwave. I should be joining you and your team once my legs all better."

"Can you loosen the restraints? I'm a bit uncomfortable."

"Razor said not to. We heard you punched a teammate during a panic attack. What in the pit happened?"

"I-I was raped, I think."

xxx

"Heatwave is suffering a rare form of PTSD," Razor explained. "You know how after a spark bond, you can feel your partner's spark for a little while, or sometimes see them? Something similar is happening to Heatwave, but later than most cases start."

"So, you mean he's seeing..." Blades trailed off.

"Yes. It's extremely hard to live with, even when the visions stop. Did you bring his journal?"

"Journal?" Chroma asked. "I don't think he has a journal."

"I thought I saw him writing a few weeks ago," Boulder said. "I thought he was taking note for Optimus."

"Well, someone get his journal!" Razor said. "It may have important information in it about his attacks!"

xxx

"What does a Cybertronian journal look like, K-9?" Cody asked.

"Like a data pad," the Maximal said.

"Well, _that_ helps a lot!" Dani sarcastically as she waved her hand to the vast amount of data pads in Heatwave's room.

"I think Jackie should help us," Graham said. "She's always reading the bots' stuff."

"Yeah, she's like a ninja cat," K-9 said. "She might have it right now."

"I'll call and check with her," Chief said.

xxx

February 12.

Heatwave took one of the pills Razor prescribed him to help him sleep at one a.m.

 _Can't believe I'm taking it this late at night!_ he thought to himself as he laid down on his bed.

He slowly fell asleep.

xxx

"I hope the medicine Razor gave Heatwave works," Blades said as he cleaned out the energon processer.

"Yeah, it's a bit hard to control him when he's having a panic attack," Boulder added as he studied Graham's science book.

Chase nodded in agreement. Razor medically paralyzed his voice box while it recovered.

"Man, there is a LOT of snow outside!" Chroma exclaimed as she wrapped a blanked around herself.

Chase wrapped his arms around her middle and nuzzled her neck.

"Ally and I had to stop a firecracker snowball fight. Don't ask," Chroma said.

"That's just a recipe for disaster," Blades said.

"It almost was. It's gonna be on the news tonight."

"I'm going to check on Heatwave," Blades put the energon processor back together before he left.

Blades slowly opened the door to Heatwave's room and saw the red mech lying on his belly, snoring. Blades quickly did a vital scan to make sure Heatwave was okay. He was.

Blades walked up to Heatwave to tuck him in and saw that he was sucking his thumb.

 _Aw!_ Blades thought as he tucked him in.

xxx

"Chase, it was very polite of you to walk me to my room," Chroma said. "Would my Cyberknight in shining armor like a kiss?"

Chase pulled her close and nuzzled her neck. One of his hands went over one of her latches.

"Oh! You want to warm me up?"

Chase nodded.

Chroma pulled him onto her bed so he would be on top.

They began to make out and remove armor.

A few minutes in, Chase gasped.

Chroma was cold... down _there_.

Chase put his armor back on and left.

xxx

Cody knocked on the door of Lindsy and Jackie's house.

"Hey, Cody," Lindsy opened the door.

"Hi, is Jackie here?" Cody asked.

"Yeah, she just wants to be alone right now because of the weather."

"Oh. I was just wondering because I haven't seen her in a while."

"Well, she's fine. She just hates the cold."

"She'll get used to it."

xxx

February 14.

"We're watching cheesy rom-coms?" Jackie asked Heatwave.

"Well, you can't stay at your place all winter and its Valentine's Day," Heatwave said. "That and we have nothing better to do."

"Fine," Jackie pulled out her Gameboy.

"First up, _Twilight_!" Blades held up the DVD.

Jackie agsabered the disk in half.

"Or we could watch _Tangled_?" Blades asked.

xxx

"Chase do you think Boulder planned on doing more than a date with Emerald?" Chroma asked as they walked through Blossom Vale.

"I am unsure. Flowers?" Chase handed her the bouquet.

"Aw!" Chroma kissed him. "You're so sweet!"

They continued their walk and came across a small lake.

"Would you like to ice skate with me?" Chase asked.

"The ice doesn't look too thick... but I like a good risk."

The two began to skate, holding onto one another.

"I love you," Chase said as he pulled her close so they would be chest to chest.

"I know," Chroma pulled him into a kiss.

Chase was feeling a bit odd in his chest when they heard a big crack.

"Oh, no!" Chroma began to run to the shore when the ice gave in and they fell into the lake. She swam as quickly to some ice and got a good grip on it. "Chase! Are you okay?" she asked.

No answer.

She tried again with her comm.

Same result.

She turned around and saw big bubbles and some energon.

xxx

Blades and Heatwave pulled Chase out of the water.

Razor started the water pump when they put him on the stretcher.

"Let's get him to my medbay!" she said.

"Come on, Chroma. Let's get you back to the firehouse and warmed up," Ally said.

"O-okay. I-I hope Ch-Chase makes it," Chroma said.

xxx

"Heatwave, this is NOT funny!" Chroma shouted as the mech carried her tied and blindfolded.

"Okay, I'm putting you down, now," Heatwave put her in a chair and untied her. "Keep the blindfold on."

"Jerk!"

Two minutes passed before she heard Chase's voice.

She took off the blindfold. "Chase! What happened?" she ran to his bedside.

"My spark chamber opened just before the ice broke," he held her hand, "I'm fine now."

They kissed and their lips got stuck.


	16. Spellbound

The whole rescue team, animal control included, were having a fun time at Blossom Vale.

Blades and Dani were using the waterfall as a water slide, boulder was painting the scenery, Chase and Chroma were on a walk, Chief Burns was teaching Ally and the twins how to fish, Emerald was studying the wildlife, Kade and Heatwave were skipping rocks (or trying to), Lindsy was checking Abby's lead to make sure it was secure and that the branch Jackie tied it to wouldn't break, and the others were getting lunch ready.

"Hey! Gummy worms!" K-9 grabbed a bag.

"Those are Jackie's," First Aid took the bag from him.

Jackie's hair and eyes turned blue as she looked at Abby. "Abby likes it here."

"She's right," Boulder said, "It's a very beautiful park."

"All the wildlife is as healthy as can be," Emerald added.

"That is due to an 82% drop in littering from last year," Chase said when he and Chroma returned from their walk.

"Yeah, where's the trashcan? Chase wanted to pick up every single speck of trash we came across, even the compost," Chroma held up a bag of mostly compost.

"To think we almost lost it to a housing development!" Graham said.

"Luckily, the council denied the request," Chief said.

"Yeah, I saw the mayor and his wife snorkeling here yesterday," Ally added before the four fishers got splashed by Heatwave's 'skipping stone'.

"Dude!" T.J. exclaimed.

"Not cool!" Raychel said.

"That's enough!" Chief said.

"You got my hijab wet!" Ally started to take off the wet fabric.

The commtab started to beep and Cody picked it up.

"Someone fell into the Old Hodkins well!" Cody said.

Jackie grabbed her horse and a fishing pole before leaving.

xxx

"All right, people, stand back," Chief said to the crowd around the well.

"Her name is Cathy!" Priscilla grabbed Chief's arm.

"Oh, Ally, did you convert?" Mrs. Pinch asked.

"No," Ally said as she adjusted her ponytail.

Cody, Jackie, Wheelie, Chief Burns, and Kade looked down the well.

"It's too small for an adult, Dad," Kade said.

"Why do you think I grabbed this?" Jackie held up the fishing pole.

They then looked at Wheelie.

"What?" the minibot asked.

xxx

"Hang on, Cathy," Wheelie said as Chief Burns lowered the bot down.

 _"Camera's working,"_ Brains said.

The wall crumbled a bit.

"I'm scared," Cathy said.

"Thrust me, I'm way more scared that you are right now, and I'm a flippin' robot!" Wheelie reassured. " _Heeey,_ wait a minute!" Wheelie reached the bottom and picked up a doll. "Pull me up!" he shouted.

xxx

"A talking doll?!" Kade asked.

The team, excluding the big guys, groaned.

"Cathy!" Priscilla snatched the doll from Wheelie. "Ugh! You got her all dirty! Mom, will this diminish her value as limited addition?"

"Unfortunately, yes, sweetheart," Mrs. Pinch said.

"Well, since _you_ dropped her down there, _you_ can by me a new one!" she got ready to throw the doll to the ground when Jackie grabbed her wrists.

Jackie's eyes went dragon. "Gimme the doll," she calmly said.

"Okay," Priscilla handed the high schooler the doll.

"First it's toys, then it's animals," Jackie sighed.

"We need to fence off that well," Lindsy said.

"I'm sorry, Charlie," Mrs. Pinch said, "I'll reimburse the team." She saw the bots. "Impressive robots. I've seen them in action before. How much for the whole set?" She pulled out her check book.

"They're not for sale, Madeline," Chief Burns said.

"Yeah, government issue!" T.J. crossed his arms.

"Oh well, come along, Priscilla. We have tennis practice," Mrs. Pinch said.

The two she-devils left.

"Can I have the doll?" Blades asked Jackie.

Jackie handed him the doll.

"I love you!" the doll said.

"Aww!" Blades squealed.

"That's just what the makers' decided what to have prerecorded for her to say when you squeeze her," Brains said.

"Aww..." Blades sadly said.

xxx

Chief Burns, K-9, and Cody were walking out of the ice cream shop.

"Why the long face, son?" Chief Burns asked. "That Choco-Atomic Blast not working out for you?"

"No, the Pinches act like they own the whole island," Cody said. "Why are people like that?"

"Well, they _are_ multimillionaires," K-9 said barely moving his lips.

"Wow, that was really good, K-9!" Chief Burns said. "But, yes, some people think they have anything if they have a lot of money."

"Speaking of which," Chase began, "thank you, Chief Burns, for not selling us."

"You don't sell out friends or family. Well, depending on the circumstances, pets, maybe."

K-9 whimpered.

"Don't worry, K-9, we won't sell you," Chief Burns reassured.

A cell phone vibrating on the bus bench drew their attention.

Chief Burns answered the cell. "Hello, Chief Burns speaking. Did you lose your phone?"

"Agh!" K-9 whimpered and rubbed one of his ears.

Chief Burns dropped his strawberry ice cream. "The project is the priority."

"Dad, what's wrong?" Cody asked.

"I have some business to take care of. I'll put this away in the lost and found. Can you and K-9 walk home?" Chief Burns asked.

"Um, sure, Dad," Cody said.

Chief Burns and Chase drove off.

"Chase," K-9 used the two-bot signal, "keep an eye on Chief Burns. Something's not right." he turned to the dropped ice cream. "Five second rule."

"Don't you want your vanilla bean?" Cody held the ice cream cup.

"And let the cone go to waste?"

"You'll get worms!"

xxx

"Dad, I'm so glad you're-"

"Chief Burns cut Cody off. "I'm wiped out, Cody, we'll talk tomorrow." he got in the elevator and left.

"What crawled up his tail pipe?" Chroma asked.

"We evacuated Blossom Vale," Chase said. "Chief Burns said there was a sulfur leak."

Blades yelped in fear.

"We don't get sick from that stuff," First Aid said.

"But there wasn't any signs of a leak all day," Chase said.

"Chief Burns probably had a reason," Heatwave said.

"Something's not right," Cody said.

xxx

"K-9, did you notice that Graham and Kade are acting like-" Cody gasped when he saw that K-9 had a huge head injury.

"Acting weird like your dad?" K-9's metal skull was showing. "I noticed."

"Who did this?"

"Graham did. Let's get the others. And call Lindsy to patch me up."

xxx

"That's gnarly," T.J. took a picture of K-9's injury.

"Cody, was Graham rough with his toys?" Jackie asked as Lindsy patched K-9 up.

First Aid walked in with a small energon crystal.

"Here, K-9. Eat this, it'll replenish any you lost."

K-9 gobbled up the crystal.

"Just overheard an argument on the team channel," Chroma said. "Dani and Blades put out the fire with Ally."

Blades, Dani, and Ally arrived.

"Good thing those high schoolers helped us put out the fire," Ally said.

"I wish I could shoot water out of my knuckles like Heatwave," Blades said. "Nope, that'd be weird."

"K-9! What happened?!" Dani saw the injured Maximal.

"We'll tell you on the way to Blossom Vale," Cody said.

xxx

The rest of the team arrived to see Heatwave, Chase, and Boulder getting large boulders out of a giant bot-made hole.

"What are you doing?!" Dani exclaimed.

"Why are you doing this?" Cody asked.

"This is our priority!" Heatwave answered.

"Says who?" K-9 asked.

"Me," Chief Burns answered.

"The fuck's going on?" Jackie asked.

"Lang- eh, I'll let it pass," Lindsy said.

"Ground contamination," Chief Burns said before handing them the yellow cell phones. "These will make sure no one will listen in on us. Let's test the-"

K-9 bit his hand and drew blood.

Chief Burns reached for his gun.

First Aid had noticed everyone's odd behavior and the bot's unnatural green optics. He used his electro-magnets to snatch the gun. "Did you dope up the others?!"

"Kids, get to Emerald," Lindsy said, "and take K-9."

The trio got inside Emerald's cab.

"My future conjunx would never agree to this!" Emerald locked her doors.

"The cell phones are emitting a weird signal that-that makes them, I-I don't know! Zombies!" K-9 said.

They heard a loud thump and saw First Aid and Blades throw an out cold Chroma into the pit. Chase was holding an energon stained rock.

"Jackie jumped into the driver's seat. "Go! Go! Go!"

Emerald sped off.

"Why aren't we going to Doc Greene's?" Cody asked.

Jackie put a gummy into her mouth and chewed. "We can't trust humans or big bots."

"Hey, what about me?" Emerald asked.

You saw what Blades, First Aid and Chase did," K-9 said. "First Aid's a pacifist, Blades is a total mom, and Chase would never hurt someone he loves."

"Brains found one of the cells," Jackie handed Cody a gummy. "Eat it."

Cody ate the gummy. "OW!" he held his ears.

"What the- was that a transmutate gummy?" K-9 asked.

"My ears popped SO loud!"

"You'll hear your muscles moving for a few minutes," Jackie said.

xxx

The un-hypnotized members of the team were in the bunker underneath Jackie's barn.

"The only way I can think to stop the phones island wide- they all have 'em- is to take down the cell tower," Brains said.

"C'mon, let's go!" K-9 said.

xxx

Priscilla banged on the driver's window. "Why the hell did you try to run ME off the road?!"

Jackie put the dead evil cell to the window.

"That's the new cell my mom's company's making. Where did you get it?"

Jackie lowered the window _just_ a little. "They're brainwashing people and big bots."

Priscilla's mouth dropped. "Well, turn them off!"

"We can't. We have to turn off the cell tower," Jackie handed her a gummy. "The cells won't affect you if you eat this. It'll last six hours."

xxx

Boulder rubbed his head. "Wha- What happened?" he saw the broken cell phone and remembered what happened.

"If they try to escape, do NOT be afraid to take drastic measures to stop them," Chief Burns said to someone over the yellow cells.

"Oh, no," Boulder said.

xxx

The four walked through the forest when Boulder walked in front of them.

Jackie activated her agsaber, K-9 transformed and activated his blasters, Cody tried to get the crossbow Jackie gave him loaded, and Emerald got into a fighting stance.

"Don't worry, it's me," Boulder said.

Emerald asked him a question in their native tongue, which he answered.

"It's him," Emerald said.

"We have to destroy the phones."

"We know, that's why we're going to the cell tower," Jackie said.

"It's the other way," Boulder pointed to Blossom Vale.

"But that's Blossom Vale! The others will be there!" K-9 said.

"We can destroy the team's phones."

"Let's try it," Emerald said.

xxx

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Jackie yelled when they were surrounded.

"Frankie's a smart girl, you five," Chief Burns said.

"Okay, Plan A!" Emerald yelled.

Jackie ate a handful of gummies and they ran to the cell tower.

Chase and Heatwave attempted to ram Boulder, Emerald, and their passengers off the road while Blades chased Jackie in the sky.

"Emerald, on the count of three!" Boulder said. "One, two, three!"

All three rammed down the cell tower, turning off all the cells on the island.

xxx

Chase was crying after everyone who was hypnotized was told what happened. "I-I can't believe I did that to her!"

"Oh, my god!" Ally covered her mouth.

"I didn't know you could hypnotize people with phones," Graham said.

"And it works on bots, too!" Boulder reminded.

"Why would someone want to dig up Blossom Vale?" Heatwave asked.

"Gold Rush?" Jackie suggested.

xxx

"Jackie was right," Graham said in the morning. "There's lots of gold underneath the ground."

"I bet it was the company or an ally of theirs," Jackie said.

"Let's fill in this hole and replant," Heatwave said.

"Looks like we'll get some help," Blades said.

A group of townsfolk showed up with trees and gardening supplies.

"Like I said, people love this place," Cody said.

A black car pulled up and Priscilla got out in a gardening outfit. "I'm here to help."

Jackie walked over with the school sheep that already had babies.

"Can you watch them?" she asked.

"Why?"

"Fertilizer. Make sure they don't eat the new trees."

Priscilla handed her a folded-up paper.

Jackie walked back and gave the paper the Chief Burns.

xxx

All the bots were back at the fire house.

"You thought we were drugged?" Heatwave asked First Aid.

"That isn't exactly something a medic would ask at first," Blades said.

"M-My dad did something to make me ask," First Aid said.

"What did he do?" Chase, who had taken the day off, asked. "Did he abuse drugs?"

"S-Something like that..."


	17. Stronger, Faster

(A/N: this chapter is mostly flashback and I don't want to use italics, well, except when there's an interruption.)

Ratchet and First Aid walked into Team Prime's base.

"(Hi, First Aid,") Bumblebee greeted. ("How are you?")

"I-"

"First Aid, put your things in your room," Ratchet interrupted.

First Aid sighed. "I'll tell you guys later." he walked with his bag to his old room.

"Optimus, I want my son to return from Griffin Rock," Ratchet told the Prime in private.

"Ratchet, is this due to the fact that First Aid is homosexual?" Optimus asked.

"No, it's the fact that Heatwave **seduced** him when he was a **minor**!"

 _"He thought I seduced you?!" Heatwave said. "That's crazy!"_

"Heatwave did not seduce him, Ratchet," Optimus said. "Jacqueline and K-9 has confirmed that both has feelings for one another."

"They were almost intimate! Or they are. Did you **not** see the **hickey** First Aid has?!"

"Ratchet, lower your voice."

"Do you know that **Heatwave** is **bisexual**? That is a violation of Rescue Bot ethics! He should be exiled for that!"

 _"It's not my fault I'm bi," Heatwave crossed his arms._

"Well, you did _lie on the exam," Chase reminded._

 _"Because a bot's sexuality isn't a reason to deny a job or career."_

"Ratchet, I looked over Heatwave's sexuality, and _please_ lower your voice," Optimus said.

"If it were up to ME, I'D KILL, IF NOT-"

"Ratchet! That is enough!"

Arcee walked into the room the two mechs were in. "What's going on? We can hear you from the kid's rec area."

"Ratchet wishes to remove First Aid from Griffin Rock," Optimus said. "He got a bit carried away in his reasoning."

xxx

First Aid finished repairing Bulkhead's right front wheel. "Next time you get a flat, don't drive home. Walk or take the groundbridge."

"Okay. Say, First Aid, the kids are doing another science fair. Think you can give them some advice?" Bulkhead asked.

"Sure, I'll even make sure there won't be another 'Ratchet repeat'."

"Miko, he said 'yes'!"

Miko ran in. "I don't know what to do!"

"Well, what do you like?" First Aid asked.

"Music, duh!"

"Then, do a report or a video on music and how it affects people."

"Oh, it's that easy? This'll be awesome!"

First Aid walked with Bulkhead and Miko to the rec room.

"Hi, First Aid," Jack said. "How's Griffin Rock?"

"Crazy as usual," First Aid said. "Need help on your projects?"

"No!" both boys said.

"It won't be like last time. I promise."

 _"What happened last time?" Blades asked._

 _"My dad helped and the school got a dent in the floor, broken doors and lockers, and a hole in the roof and ceiling," First Aid said._

 _"Oh."_

"It better not," Raf said.

"What do you guys like?" First Aid asked.

"Motorcycles," Jack said.

"Video games," Raf said.

"Jack, you can do the science of motorcycles. Raf, you can make a video game," First Aid said.

xxx

"Hm, surprisingly stable," Ratchet said as he looked at the synthetic energon through a microscope.

"Hey, Dad," First Aid said as he walked in with Raf in his hands. "Raf's mom says he can stay, but he has to be home by 6:30."

Ratchet just nodded as First Aid put Raf on the platform.

"Is that synthetic energon?" Raf asked.

"Yes, I'm about to test it on this engine," Ratchet said.

"Can I watch?"

"Well, I see that you're wearing protective eyewear."

"Just a second," First Aid handed Raf protective glasses and a mask. "Can't be too safe." He activated his battle mask and visor.

Ratchet rolled his eyes before he put the synthetic energon into the test engine.

The engine roared to life.

Raf took off the glasses and mask and began to call for Bumblebee.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! It's not ready for bots yet!" First Aid said.

Ratchet gave a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately, First Aid is correct. With our energon supply at an all-time low and with the Decepticons controlling every single known energon mine on this planet, this-" he held up the vial "- may be our only advantage and hope."

An alarm went off.

"I'll get the bridge ready," First Aid walked to the ground bridge. "You guys try not to get serious injuries," he told Optimus Prime and the others.

"Can't make any promises," Bulkhead said.

"Autobots, roll out!"

Ratchet gave another heavy sigh. "Sometimes, I wish I could do more."

xxx

First Aid's jaw dropped.

Ratchet was injecting himself with the synthetic energon. His eyes changed from blue to green before dropping the syringe and fainting.

xxx

Raf was working on his video game project when he heard First Aid yell 'Dad, no!'

He ran over to the two medics and saw First Aid trying to wake up his dad.

"What happened?" Raf asked.

"Ratchet injected himself with synthetic energon!" First Aid yelled. "I-I can't wake him up!"

"Don't you have smelling salts?"

"I'll check the storage! Try waking him up!"

Raf climbed onto Ratchet's chest and started calling his name.

Ratchet groaned as he sat up. "How is it that the smallest creatures are also the loudest?"

"Are you okay? You passed out," Raf didn't tell him what First Aid said.

"I'm-" Ratchet realized his left shoulder wasn't aching as usual "- better that fine." He checked his functions. "Energy opacity up 30%!"

They heard glass breaking.

"I'm blind!" First Aid yelled.

Ratchet groaned. "I'm coming!" He walked to the medical supply storage and saw a crying First Aid rolling on the ground, covering his eyes. Ratchet helped his son stand up, walked him to the hygiene room, and rinsed out his eyes.

"Th-thanks, D-Dad. Are you okay?"

"Better that 'okay'."

They walked back to the main hall.

 _"Ratchet, lock onto Arcee's coordinates. She is outnumbered,"_ Optimus said.

"I'm locked on," Ratchet said. "Arcee, turn around and return to base."

" _Can't do, Ratchet,"_ Arcee said.

"Don't be a fool."

The monitor started beeping.

"She's hurt. First Aid, can you see?" Ratchet asked.

"No, everything's blurry," First Aid said.

Ratchet turned to Raf. "Man the ground bridge." he went to Arcee's aid.

xxx

Everyone, except for Optimus and First Aid, were ecstatic at Ratchet's rescue of Arcee.

"I heard he was a one-bot wrecking crew!" Bulkhead told Raf and First Aid.

"Saved my chassis," Arcee said.

("Took out a whole armada!") Bumblebee said.

"That's because he did something stupid!" First Aid shouted.

"Ratchet, what did you do?" Optimus asked.

"I just took something I call 'Synth-En'!" Ratchet tossed a vial to Bulkhead.

"If we took this stuff we could wipe out the Cons in one hit!" Arcee said.

"Or we could give Ratchet more and take a vacation!" Bulkhead handed the vial to Optimus.

"Ratchet, you shouldn't have injected yourself. You know it isn't ready for Cybertronians," Prime said.

("I wonder what would happen if we gave some to Jackie?") Bumblebee pondered.

xxx

(A/N: okay, this is right after chapter 14 or 15, if you're reading this on )

"Dad! Where are you?!" First Aid searched the base. "Jackie's acting like a cat! Did you injec- AAH!"

"What was that?" Arcee and Bumblebee walked into the hallway they saw First Aid walk into and saw an upside-down Bulkhead and rubble under him against a wall.

"Sorry, Bulkhead," Ratchet said as he walked through the hole he accidentally made. "I'm stronger than I used to be."

"Help me!" First Aid said under Bulkhead and the rubble.

Bumblebee and Ratchet helped Bulkhead up as Arcee helped First Aid out of the rubble.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"A little sore," First Aid took a step and gasped as he fell. "Agh! My ankle! I think it's sprained!"

"Walk it off," Ratchet said. "I'm faster than I used to be, too! Think you can take me, muscle car?" he asked Bumblebee.

("I'll pass,") Bumblebee helped First Aid up.

"You two are wimps. How's it hummin'?" he asked as he walked by Arcee.

"Did he just..." Arcee trailed off.

"Stronger, faster, studlier," Bulkhead said.

"Ew!" First Aid groaned.

xxx

"Optimus, are you sure you want to take Ratchet on this mission?" First aid asked.

"Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on him," Optimus said before whispering, "The sooner he burns the Synthetic Energon off, the better."

xxx

Miko was pointing a laser around for dragon Jackie to chase.

"It's so weird seeing her green," Miko said.

"Ratchet went after Megatron?!" First Aid exclaimed. "I'm on my way!"

 _"First Aid! No!"_ Optimus protested.

First Aid took off his brace and ran through the bridge.

xxx

 _Come on, Dad. Where are you?_ First Aid asked himself. "If I could just-"

He heard a load groan and saw an injured vehicon.

"Uh, hi?" First Aid walked to the mech.

"S-stay away!" The shaking mech tried to run, but fell. "D-don't hurt me!"

"I'm not, I'll help you. Let me see your injury." First Aid put his hands on both sides of the mech's head. "I can fix this up in a snap." He got to work. "So, what kind of vehicon are you?"

"A miner. What kind of Autobot are you?"

"A Rescue Bot."

 _"You didn't!" Heatwave exclaimed._

"I did," First Aid said.

The miner grabbed First Aid below the belt.

"What the?! Let go!" First Aid yelled a bit squeaky.

"What are you gonna do, pussy?" the miner groped harder.

"You know, it doesn't feel bad!" First Aid continued to fix the mech's face.

"You're weird."

"Stay still," First Aid finished the repairs. "Now, I fixed your face, can you tell me where Megatron may be? I have to stop the bot that did this to you."

The miner let go of First Aid. "I never said what happened, how did you know who did it?"

"I saw how you were acting and put the pieces together."

The miner told him where Megatron was. "Um, do you want to... you know?"

"What do you- wha- no! No, no, no! I have a mechfriend!"

xxx

"Dad!"

Ratchet pulled out an empty syringe from his arm as he saw his son walk towards him. "What do you want?"

"To help," First Aid said.

"Well, you can help me defeat Megatron, once and for all!" Ratchet then noticed scratch marks on First Aid's lower plating. "You didn't frag a vehicon, did you?"

"One groped me while I fixed his face."

"Why did you assist the enemy?"

"Because I'm a medic."

xxx

"What happened to Jackie?" Arcee asked as the bots looked wide eyed and jaw dropped at the snoozing Predaqueen.

"She got into the gummies," Raf said.

"And CNA," Miko added.

("Hey, can we use her to find Ratchet and First Aid?)" Bumblebee asked.

"It's looking that way," Bulkhead said as he looked at the computer.

Optimus stepped over to the snoozing Predacon transmutate and woke her up. "Do you want to go hunting for Decepticons?"

"Jackie shot up on all fours, standing up straight, wings raised, tail slowly wagging, and excited in the eyes.

xxx

The two medics hid behind a rock in the energon mine.

"Follow my lead," Ratchet told First Aid when Breakdown showed up.

First Aid got a heavy sedative ready and shot Breakdown.

"What the-" Breakdown pulled out the syringe before falling into a deep sleep.

"I told you to follow my lead!" Ratchet said.

"Well, I don't want you to get hurt!" First Aid shot back.

xxx

"Okay, Miko, the Nyaid has magnets in the hands, belly, knees, and feet so you won't fall off Jackie when she's flying," Raf said.

"Comm us when you two find Ratchet and First Aid," Arcee said.

"Don't fall off," Bulkhead nervously said as he put Miko on Jackie's lower neck.

Optimus got Ratchet's favorite tool for Jackie to sniff.

Jackie smelled the tool for two minutes before taking off.

Miko screamed her head off.

xxx

" _That_ is your adversary?" Megatron asked Knockout when Ratchet and First Aid showed up. He laughed. "This is the Autobots' medic!" He saw First Aid. "And his son."

"I am no doctor-" Ratchet started.

"Don't say it," First Aid said.

"I am your doctor of doom!"

"He said it!" First Aid face palmed.

Ratchet punched Megatron, sending him into a wall.

Megatron check his lip to see if he was leaking energon. "He seems to have more spirit."

"Chemical enhancement?" Knockout suggested.

First Aid threw a sedative syringe at Megatron, who caught it and threw it into the young mech's right chest.

"Oh, no," First Aid collapsed.

"For Cybertro-" Ratchet charged, but Megatron grabbed the medic's fist and twisted his arm. Ratchet howled in pain as Megatron shoved his claws into the medic's right chest. Ratchet fell onto his back.

"There is your sample, doctor," Megatron said as he left. "I can't wait to use this on our soldiers."

"F-First Aid," Ratchet said, "help."

"He's a goner," Knockout said. "He has enough sedative in him to put Megatron in stasis for 12 hours."

"First Aid, Optimus, I've been a fool."

xxx

All the Decepticons stopped what they were doing when they heard a strange roar.

"What in the AllSpark?" Megatron quietly said.

The ceiling of the came down as a mythic Predaqueen came in roaring.

xxx

Knockout was about to snuff Ratchet when he heard the noise in the main cavern.

"What is that racket?" Knockout asked.

Ratchet punched Knockout in the face and got up to fight.

Knockout lunged at Ratchet, buzz saw whirring. He ended up getting stuck in the wall.

Ratchet picked up the synthetic energon.

"What are you gonna do? Drink it?" Knockout sarcastically asked.

"No. I'm going to destroy it!" Ratchet slammed the container to the ground, smashing it.

"Megatron will kill me, you idiot!" Knockout freed himself and turned to Ratchet.

They heard the noise again. Knockout's eyes widened when he saw blue fire at the far end of the tunnel and ran away, transforming.

Ratchet crawled to First Aid and held his son's hand.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Ratchet sobbed. "I never meant to hurt you! I'm sorry I called you those names! Please don't leave me!" Ratchet fell into stasis lock.

xxx

The Autobots had scared off the Decepticons with Jackie and they were taking the energon back to base.

("Why is Jackie looking at that tunnel?") Bumblebee asked.

"Miko says she's scouting the tunnel," Bulkhead said.

 _"Ratchet and First Aid are dead!"_ Miko screamed.

The Autobots ran into the tunnel and saw the two comatose medics. Ratchet was tightly holding his son's hand.

Jackie let out a sad sigh.

xxx

Ratchet groaned as he woke up and attempted to sit up.

"Easy, old friend," Optimus said. "You lost a lot of energon. Good and bad."

"First Aid! Where is he?!" Ratchet tried to get up again.

"Razor is taking care of him. He is in good hands."

"Will he..."

"It is still too early to know for sure, but we must keep our hopes up."

xxx

Knockout smiled when he saw the small drop of synthetic energon. _What was it those humans say? Oh, yes. 'A little goes a long way'._

xxx

Ratchet watched as Miko and Jackie (who was still a predaqueen) cleaned the base.

"Ratchet, I have an emergency in Griffin Rock," Razor said as she walked to the groundbridge. "Don't get up."

"Who is it this time?" Ratchet asked.

"Blades. Plausible hypothermia."

Razor typed in the coordinates for her ship, and left with the defroster.

Ratchet sat up a little. "Jackie, can you help me up?"

The now blue Predaqueen walked down one of the halls and came back a few minutes later with a datapad in her mouth.

"What is it?" Miko asked as Ratchet took the tablet from Jackie.

Ratchet smiled a bit. "A picture of First Aid and his carrier, or, as a human would say, mother."

Miko walked over and saw First Aid and a mostly red with some white femme.

"This was taken..." Ratchet frowned. "A few weeks before a Decepticon troop raided us. Hope, my mate, and First Aid's mother, didn't make it. After that, I had First Aid join the Protectobots. I wish I didn't," Ratchet put down the datapad.

Then everyone heard a groan.

"What was that?" Ratchet sat up a bit more.

Miko ran to check and saw First Aid trying to stand.

"It's First Aid!" she said. "He's awake!"

xxx

(A/N: present day)

"What did Razor give you to wake up?" Blades asked.

"Something similar to caffeine," First Aid answered.

"What did Ratchet call you?" Heatwave asked.

"Well. when he was on the synth-en, he called you and I a couple of-"

xxx

Kade and Jackie were watching the pilot of Chicago Fire when they heard Heatwave yell something.

"What's Heatwave yelling about this time?" Kade pause the TV.

"First Aid must've told him that Ratchet called them both a slur for the lady part," Jackie said.

"Okay, that'd piss me off, too," Kade unpaused the show.

Jackie then used the remote to turn on the subtitles.

"How'd you do that?" Kade asked.

"We have the same remote," Jackie said.


	18. Prank Week

"First Aid, do you really want to break up?" Heatwave asked.

First Aid nodded. "I don't think we should be together anymore. I-I mean - with your panic attacks and how you want to rush things... I-it's just for the best."

"I get it. You don't want a partner with baggage."

"No, I don't think this is a good time for a relationship, but I have no doubts of your leadership. Are you all right with that?"

Heatwave turned away. "Let me think it over," he muttered.

"Maybe we can try again. When you're done with your therapy," First Aid said before leaving Heatwave's quarters.

All of the Rescue Bots and their humans were getting ready for a meeting called by Chief Burns.

xxx

"Where's Heatwave?" Ally asked. "Does he have therapy today?"

"No," Chief said. "Razor said that she and Air Raid will be on a training mission with their Pretenders for the next two months."

Heatwave slowly stepped into the bunker. "If you need me, I'll be in therapy."

"Heatwave, therapy's been canceled for a couple of months," Blades said.

"W-what?!"

"It's only for two months, Heatwave. They have important work to do. They'll be back before you know it," Chief answered.

"But I only have two pills left and Razor has-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're taking pills? For what?" Kade interrupted.

"To help me sleep and for my PTSD. Both in the same pill."

"You have PTSD?" T.J. asked, earning a punch in the ribs from his sister.

"We'll contact Razor if you start having panic attacks again," Chief said. "Now, the reason I called this meeting is because 'Prank Week' will start next Sunday at 9 a.m. and will run through until 5 p.m. on Saturday. We have to be prepared for pranks gone awry, such as when the school roof collapsed when two high school seniors used a crane to put the school bus on the roof two years ago."

"Luckily, it was only structural damage, no one was inside when it collapsed," Graham said.

"I heard that one guy had a heart attack from a scare prank," Raychel said. "The prankster paid the hospital bill."

"Everyone, be on your guard next week. We don't know what will go wrong," Chief said.

xxx

It was Saturday night and Heatwave couldn't sleep, or rather, he didn't want to, as he had run out of his pills.

Heatwave adjusted his punching dummy before practicing these new combo moves he saw online.

"Heatwave, why aren't you in bed?" someone asked.

Heatwave spun around in a defensive fighting stance before he saw Chief Burns looking at him.

"I-I'm just not tired yet," Heatwave said before accidentally yawning.

"When was the last time you slept?" Chief asked.

"About five days ago."

"How long can Cybertronians go without sleep?"

"Three days, but some of our sleep cycles are a bit off."

"Take a nap and tomorrow off. You need to rest," Chief walked to the elevator.

Heatwave punched an 'arm' of his dummy and when it spun, another 'arm' at his head level struck him with a loud clang.

"Uuggh..." his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell and fainted.

"Heatwave!" Chief ran to the Rescue Bot leader. He turned on his commlink. "Blades, First Aid, Heatwave is down!"

xxx

"How did he knock himself out?" Blades asked as he checked Heatwave's vitals.

"I think an arm of his dummy hit his head," Chief said.

"That explains the dent," First Aid said as he treated the injury.

Heatwave let out a loud snore.

"Well, at least he's getting some rest like you wanted," Blades said.

xxx

 _Heatwave was extremely nervous. He was about to go on his first date with a mech. He had been on many dates before, but a mech? Like I said, no, it was his first._

 _He looked down at his energon drink. It was a dark, spicy beverage, dark blue with light blue swirls as the plain energon cubes melted._

 _An orange mech with yellow highlights sat down next to him at the bar._

 _"Hi," the slender mech said._

 _"Hey," Heatwave looked down at his drink._

 _"Are you Heatwave?"_

 _"Yeah? Who wants to know?"_

 _The slender mech extended a hand. "I'm Solar. Friend of a friend."_

 _Heatwave did a nervous swallow._

 _This was his date._

 _He shook Solar's hand. "So, what do you want to do?"_

 _"How 'bout you finish your drink before we go study at my place?"_

 _"Sure," Heatwave took a sip of his drink._

 _xxx_

Dani and Raychel were helping a couple of preteens with their mild injuries after said preteens did a demon prank during Sunday morning church.

"Kids, you were stupid with that one," Raychel said as she stitched up the girl's forehead.

"You two need to go to the hospital," Dani said as she put gauze up the boy's nose.

T.J. laughed really hard. "Oh, my God! You two got pwn'd by that plate!"

"T.J., shut up and drive the ambulance!" Raychel scolded.

"Y'know, Jackie and Brains should put it on the island's YouTube channel."

"YouTube?" Dani asked.

"Yeah, they're making the trailer right know."

xxx

 _Heatwave and Solar had finished studying and were playing video games. They were spooning, Solar the little spoon, obviously._

 _"So, what would you like to do once we're done with the game?" Solar asked as he snuggled in._

 _"W-we can do an experiment?" Heatwave suggested._

 _"I'd like that."_

 _xxx_

Chief Burns knocked on the door of Lindsy and Jackie's house.

"Hi, Chief Burns," Lindsy greeted as she opened the door. "Is this about the YouTube channel? Agent Fowler says it's okay if the bots' screen time is limited."

"But there is top secret technology on the island, and if the channel brings in tourists-"

"We're installing facial recognition software into the cameras on the ferry, docks, airports," Brains said. "Just so we're on the safe side."

"Look, have all the videos with the bots go by me before you upload them, okay?"

"Cool if we upload the clip where Chase steals the mummies? It cracks Jackie up and I removed the audio."

"Is he in robot mode?"

"Yep."

"I guess it will be alright, but I want to see it before it's uploaded."

"I'll show you right now," Brains pulled up a holovideo.

xxx

 _Heatwave was changing into clean bed clothes Solar owned._

 _Not many bots owned bed clothes._

Guy's family must be rich, _Heatwave thought as he adjusted the draw strings._

"Hell-o, _handsome!" Solar said as he leaned in the door frame. "Are you ready?"_

 _"As I'll ever be."_

 _xxx_

"That's it! I'm calling my dad! First Aid marched to the Rescue Bot Command Center to contact Optimus.

"What's that all about?" Cody asked Blades.

"It's Wednesday and Heatwave still hasn't woken up," Blades explained. "I shined a light into his optic sensors, but they reacted slowly."

"B-but h-he'll get better, right?"

Blades shrugged his shoulders.

xxx

 _Heatwave was changing out of the bed clothes and back into his armor._

 _"Are you all right?" Solar asked. "Did I do something wrong?"_

 _"N-no," Heatwave finished putting on his armor. "I-I'm just not ready."_

 _"Well... guess I'll see you around."_

 _"Yeah, see you around."_

 _xxx_

Chief Burns and K-9 were in the park. K-9 was napping on a bench, sitting like a human, and Chief was looking for problem pranksters.

Chief saw two kids with their Frisbee stuck in a tree. He helped them get it down.

He was walking back to K-9 and heard the Maximal growling. He ran to find K-9 in a female hula outfit. Two teens were laughing and holding K-9's vest.

"Okay, you two, give me K-9's vest," Chief said.

"One of the teens gave it back to Chief.

"C'mon, K-9, let's get you back to the car," he said.

K-9 followed Chief, walking on his hind legs, which made the teens laugh more.

xxx

 _Heatwave walked back into the four-bot apartment and his optics got burned by a very bright flash light._

 _"Ow! Dammit, Chase! Turn off your flashlight!" Heatwave covered his optics._

 _"Sorry, Heatwave," Chase said. "But you are later than usual. What took you?"_

 _"I was studying with a mech named Solar," Heatwave rubbed his optics. "He's another fire-response bot in training."_

 _Chase gave him a funny look. "Is he skinny, orange, and yellow?"_

 _"Yeah, so?"_

 _"I'm not saying I believe this, but I heard my mentor talking with his coworker about a gay-for-pay mech with a similar look and name. Did he mention his job?"_

 _"No, I've seen his apartment. His family's rich. He's not like that."_

 _"Are you two lovers?"_

 _"Grr..." Heatwave slapped Chase so had across the face. "What the frag's wrong with you?! You know I only like femmes!"_

 _Chase held his aching cheek. "S-sorry! I-I just don't want a gay leader going after Blades!"_

 _Heatwave grabbed Chase by the shoulders and shook him. "Do I_

 _look_ _gay?!"_

 _"Do you really want an answer?"_

 _Boulder ran in and separated them. "Hey, hey, hey! Break it up! We're all friends here!"_

 _"We have a big test tomorrow!" Blades said with a yawn._

 _"What's this all about?"_

 _"Chase accused me of being gay again!" Heatwave said._

 _"What? Don't you remember Blades' 'friend' from last cycle? I'm trying to look out for the team!" Chase said._

 _"You've been questioning me ever since!"_

 _"You two need to go to bed!" Boulder said._

 _xxx_

All the bots were nervously waiting for news on Heatwave's condition. Ratchet had moved him to Team Prime's base for emergency surgery.

The adult humans of the rescue team entered the bunker with Jackie.

"Heatwave's out of surgery. He's recovering now," Blades said.

"That's good, but we have a few questions," Chief Burns said.

"Are they about our biology?" First Aid asked.

"What's hermathus? What are the risk levels? How did you know that Heatwave miscarried? Can mechs give birth?" Jackie asked.

"Jackie read Heatwave's medical file," Ally said.

"The whole baby thing sounds like that _Futurama_ episode," T.J. said.

"Yeah, _Kip Gets Knocked Up a Notch_ ," Kade said.

"I'll get the power point," Blades said.

xxx

 _Heatwave couldn't believe his optics! Solar was just murdered!_

 _"Good Morning, Heatwave," Chase said. "What is in the morning news?"_

 _"The mech I studied with was murdered."_

 _Chase took the data pad from Heatwave. "Do you think you'll be able to go to class?"_

 _"I-I'm going to take a mental health day," Heatwave walked to his room._

 _xxx_

The humans were taking their seats in the command center while Blades set up the power point.

"So, Graham why did you and Lindsy split?" Kade asked.

"Pretenders like her are a subspecies of Cybertronians and I felt awkward dating an alien," Graham answered.

"Okay, the power point's ready," Blades plugged in the flash drive.

An old, medieval-looking picture of a tall female Cybertronian was the first image on the slideshow. She had a big hammer and was purple.

"Who is that?" Dani asked.

"Solus Prime. The creator of the femmes in our culture," Chroma explained.

"How did she make the femmes?" Graham asked.

"Sources vary," Boulder said. "Some say the Well of Sparks wasn't working, some mechs volunteered to become femmes. No one really knows for sure."

"However she did it, something weird happened," Blades clicked the next slide showing a da Vincie looking picture of a dissected mech with a full female reproductive system and a cloth covering the male parts. "It's called 'hermathus'. In that guy's case, it's severe."

"What are the severities?" Ally asked.

"Well, this is advanced hermathus. Heatwave is between mild and moderate, about a two. We didn't think he would conceive."

"Well, couldn't he just abort?" T.J. asked.

"His body, his rules," Jackie said. "And he doesn't have a birth canal."

"He could still abort, right? You know, the pills?"

"If we could do that, then the remains would be rusting inside him," Blades said. "Now, does _that_ sound good or bad?"

"Really bad infection," Jackie said.

"Can bots with advanced hermathus give... Um... You know... Birth?" Chief asked.

"Well, yes and no," Blades said. "The ideal situation for a mech in labor would be a C-section, because a mech, even with advanced hermathus, doesn't have child-bearing hips," he clicked the next slide, "for example..."

(A/N: in case the gif doesn't work. If it does, skip the next paragraph.)

There was a gif of what looked like a British man with a CGI male skeleton on the left and a female skeleton on the right. He had a baby doll in his hands. He threw the doll through the female skeleton's hips with ease. The baby doll was tossed back to him and he threw the doll into the male skeleton's hips and it got stuck, which caused said skeleton to run around freaking out.

T.J. fell off his seat laughing.

"In rare cases, a mech can have a natural birth, but in most of those cases, the sparkling is stillborn," Blades said.

"How did you know he was miscarrying?" Jackie asked.

xxx

 _Heatwave was back in his own bed. He was rubbing his lower abdomen with his thumb._

 _"Heatwave!" First Aid ran in and jumped on top and began kissing him._

 _Heatwave let out a yelp and shoved First Aid to the other side of the bed. "Please, don't!"_

 _"Wh-why? Oh, yeah... The... Yeah... Sorry, I'm just excited you're back!"_

 _"Hey, I am, too. I-it's just... We'll have a new teammate in about eight or nine months," Heatwave put First Aid's hand on his belly._

 _First Aid's optics widened. "It's Rotor's?! Of course, it is! Whose wouldn't it be!"_

 _"First Aid, calm down. Please. I've made the choice to keep it."_

 _First Aid took some deep breaths. "I've heard that an air unit and a ground unit can't procreate."_

 _"Our population is low, I'm willing to risk it. Besides, how awesome will a Rescue Bot with both fire and military vehicle traits be?!" Heatwave rubbed his belly. "The kid may take some getting used to, but I'll love it no matter what."_

 _xxx_

 _Blades walked into Heatwave's room a week later and saw him curled into a ball and moaning/groaning in pain._

 _"What's wrong?!" Blades ran to his side._

 _"Th-the -k-kid!" Heatwave sobbed. "S-something's wr-wrong!"_

 _Blades uncurled Heatwave and removed his belly armor and saw discoloration. "I'm contacting Razor!"_

 _xxx_

"Dude..." Kade said.

"Okay, not laughing!" T.J. got back in his seat.

"Heatwave needed emergency surgery to remove the remains. He was so upset about it," Blades said.

"I think he still is," First Aid said.

"Oh, man... That's why he was so upset when I told him about Haylay's..." Kade trailed off.

"Wh-when was Heatwave was going to tell us he was pregnant?" Chief asked.

"When he felt that he wouldn't be able to work on the team," Blades answered.

xxx

"So, that's Heatwave?" Raf asked.

"Yes, now please do your homework," Ratchet said.

"But, we already did," Miko said.

"What happened to him?" Jack asked.

"He knocked himself out and hasn't regained consciousness. First Aid got worried when his neurological activity dropped and contacted me. He should wake up in a day or two," Ratchet said.

"Can we help?" Miko asked.

"How would you help?"

"We can take turns watching him."

Ratchet thought for a moment and nodded.

"I'll take the first shift," Jack said.

xxx

Heatwave was freaking out because he woke up and didn't know where he was.

Someone pinning him down was not helping.

"Bulkhead, stop pinning him! You're making him worse!" Ratchet shouted.

"I'm not?" Bulkhead asked.

"Get off him!"

Bulkhead stopped pinning Heatwave. "Sorry about - do'h!"

Heatwave karate kicked him in the gut and ran into the base's tunnels.

xxx

Jackie, Kade, and Ally were in the old firetruck driving back from the library when Kade's cell phone started to ring.

"Dude, your phone," Jackie said.

"Driving," Kade said.

"I'll answer it," Ally held out her hand and Kade gave her his phone. She turned on the speaker phone.

 _"Kade? Are you there?"_ Ratchet asked.

"I am, and so are All and Jackie," Kade said.

"Is Heatwave awake or dead?" Jackie asked.

"What?!" Ally asked

"What is wrong with you?" Kade asked.

 _"Heatwave's awake, we just can't find him. He had a panic attack and is hiding somewhere in the base."_

"Try the empty storage rooms. I used to hide there when my transmutate abilities took over me, remember?" Jackie said.

xxx

Heatwave was calming down after his panic attack. He didn't have a nightmare, he thought he had been recaptured.

He leaned against the rock wall. Jackie told him the base was an old Cold War missile silo. It felt like... home.

Optimus entered the old storage room. "Heatwave, are you all right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am now," Heatwave said.

Optimus sat down next to him. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I think I knocked myself out. I probably thought I was bot-napped again. Could've sworn I heard Rotors threaten to tell you I'm bisexual," Heatwave covered his mouth.

Optimus rubbed the fire-bot's back. "It's all right. I have known many Autobots of the LBGT community. You are not alone."

xxx

"Heatwave!" the entire team, except for the small guys, gave him a group hug.

"We were so worried!" First Aid said.

"I-it's good to be back. Can you stop the group hug?" Heatwave asked.

The bots dispersed from the hug.

"Sorry," Boulder said.

"Hey, it's all- what's Jackie doing with underwear on her head?!"

"I pranked it forward by putting ladies' products in the lady's rooms on the island as an anime character!" she cheered.

"Which character?"

"I forgot."


	19. Prescott's Bots

Boulder, Chase, K-9, and Jackie were with Graham and Cody at the maple orchard.

"We use pumps to harvest maple sap from the trees," Graham explained as tubes sucked the sap into a machine. "It's mostly water, so the machine filters it out." he picked up the syrup result in the pitcher.

"Leaving delicious syrup! Yum!" Cody licked a syrup drop on his finger.

"Odd. You dislike carrot soup but enjoy this plant based liquid," Chase noted.

"Because it's great on pancakes!" Cody licked another drop off his fingers.

"I prefer butter," Jackie said.

"Yeah, syrup makes my fur all sticky," K-9 said.

"The festival's about to start!" one of the horticulture kids shouted.

They walked to the huge pancake stack.

"The internet's gonna love this!" Jackie said.

"Welcome, everybody, to the annual Griffin Rock Syrup Harvest! Are you getting this, Huxley?" Mayor Luskey asked.

"Of course!" Huxley said before muttering to himself, "because nothing says 'Prime Time' like watching the sap run."

Heatwave adjusted the step ladder the mayor would be climbing while Blades put a giant butter on top of the stack.

"Chief Burns!" Huxley approached him.

"Ugh," Chief face palmed. "This guy. What is it?"

"Have you considered starring in my new reality show? I call it 'Prescott's Bots'!"

"Our own TV show?" Blades whispered excitedly.

"The answer is still 'no'," Chief said.

"Our work is very dangerous and they're not your bots," Ally said.

"That's what makes good TV! The danger part, that is. Ally, don't you want to inspire more female Muslims to become first responders?" Huxley asked.

"You're headline when I first came here was 'Terrorist in Police Clothing', Mr. Prescott."

"Ehh..."

The crowd cheered as the mayor reached the top of the ladder.

"All right, all right, simmer down," Mayor Luskey said. "As mayor, I am honored to kick off this year's harvest by pouring this first bottle-"

"Pitcher!" Jackie corrected.

"Pitcher of liquid gold!"

"That's for oil. The fuel kind!"

"I know that!"

"That's going online!" a random teen said.

The mayor poured the syrup, but fell and screamed as the stack fell.

Heatwave caught him and they got covered in pancakes.

Boulder and Emerald prevented the rest of the stack from falling.

Chroma and Chase helped Heatwave get the pancakes off him and the mayor. First Aid did a mediscan.

"Mr. Mayor, what does this pancake politico say about this year's harvest?" Prescott shoved the mic into his face. "Is it a bad omen?"

"The syrups has just got a little extra kick this year," the mayor said.

"'Pancake politico'?" Ally asked to no one.

"Chief Burns, remind me to use less butter next year," the mayor started to walk back to his house.

"Dude, your toupee is on the bottom of your shoe!" T.J. said.

xxx

The bots were back at the firehouse cleaning up.

"This syrup's amazingly sticky," Boulder said as he cleaned syrup off Emerald's back.

"Everyone, make sure you're sparkly clean for my- our reality TV debut!" Blades said.

"Chief isn't going to allow it," K-9 said as Cody and Jackie washed the syrup from his fur.

"He is not fond of looky loos," Chase said.

"We'll have to be in bot mode all the time," Heatwave said.

"It's called acting," Blades said.

"Dad would never allow you guys to be on network TV," Cody said.

"What about cable?"

Everyone groaned.

"We have a YouTube!" Jackie said. "Prescott wants to make an animal cops show, too."

"Starring you?" Blades asked.

Jackie shrugged her shoulders.

xxx

"Well, I don't know how despite all the protection rights on the island, but Huxley's been given the okay for a pilot episode," Chief said.

"Don't worry, Agent Fowler will come here soon," K-9 said.

Huxley walked in with eight cameras and the bots went into bot mode.

"I hope you're ready for the thrilling world of non-scripted television!" Prescott said. "I've assigned each of you a camera."

"Make sure you get my good side- both of them," Kade said.

"I-I'm feeling a little self-conscious," Graham tugged at his shirt collar.

Ally blushed and hid behind her hijab.

T.J. gave his sister bunny ears, earning a poke in the eye.

Blades waved at the camera.

Dani elbowed him. "Wrist joint's acting up."

"Jackie's visiting a friend on the mainland," Cody said.

Chief moved the camera out of his face. "Huxley, do NOT interfere with our rescue missions!"

"I won't. I'll do one-on-one interviews in my video control van," Prescott said. His cell phone started to ring. "Hello? Okay, we'll shoot first thing in the morning!" he put his phone back into his pocket. "First off, animal control!"

xxx

"Listen, Newsy, you are going to stay on the boat while me, Jackie, and our bot take on some animal smugglers!" Lindsy ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," Huxley sat at his computer on the boat.

xxx

Chief answered the emergency line. "Emergency dispatch."

 _"Uh, Jackie just mauled about twenty smugglers to death, Game of Thrones style,"_ Prescott said.

"What?!"

 _"Yeah, they were pointing guns at her and she went dragon, the animals are okay. Sh-she needs a psych evaluation."_

"Which island is this?"

 _"The one five miles northeast from Wayward. And Prescott's Bots will start filming in one or two weeks. God, that was brutal."_

 _xxx_

Two weeks later, Prescott was filming the program.

 _"Chief Burns, what kind of danger do you look for driving the mean streets of Griffin Rock?"_ He asked.

"I don't look for danger, I just try to be ready for when it happens," Chief said. He pulled Chase to the side of the road, near the intersection. "Take this intersection for example," he got out of Chase, "we have our worst accidents here."

 _"Multi-car pile-ups? Overturned big-rigs?"_

"Fender-benders around once a month."

 _"Why? Distracted drivers?"_

"Well, that and-"

Don sped by the stop-light.

"-that."

"Traffic violation," Robot Chase said," "permission to pursue?"

"Granted," Chief got in and buckled his seat belt.

 _"Yes! A car chase!"_

Don pulled over and Chief gave him the ticket.

 _"That was only two seconds!"_

"Sorry, Huxley. I guess we're just good at our jobs."

xxx

"Prescott and Ally were in Donna's Cafe. Prescott was interviewing her.

"So, Ally, what sort of crime have you seen prior to you becoming a police officer?" he asked.

"well, my hometown, Acceptance, Michigan, has gotten hate male and vandalism due to the residents," Ally said.

"Why? Islamophobia?"

"More like Islama-douchbagery if you ask me. There's only three Muslim families, mine included, along with LBGT community, disabled people, and one former sex offender."

"What did that last guy do?"

"He was intimate with his girlfriend, they were one year apart, you fill in the blanks."

"Oh... do you know any good jokes?"

"I got a new haircut and no one noticed."

xxx

Kade got out of Heatwave and saw Mr. Pettypaws being chased by a Roomba.

 _"A frightened cat, a vengeful vacuum. Will this kitty-cat be kitty-caught?"_

"Robot, take care of it," Kade said.

Heatwave transformed, picked up the rouge Roomba, and turned it off.

Mrs. Neederlander hugged her cat.

 _"What? You couldn't let the furball sweat a little? I-I'm trying to have a little drama here!"_

 _xxx_

T.J. opened the news van door. "Then turn the animal control series to Animal Planet!"

"Do you think I'm crazy? I'm amazed she wasn't arrested!" Huxley turned back to the screens to see Dani and Blades already done with the boat emergency. "It's already over? You're massacring me, people!" he threw back his coffee cup.

"Ow! I'm good! Skin's just red."

"Sorry."

"It's cool."

xxx

The bots were in the bunker discussing Mr. Prescott's negativity to their rescues.

"It's okay, Chase, I think you did great," Chroma kissed his cheek.

"To be honest, cat rescues are more of Jackie's specialty," Heatwave said.

"Are we rescuing too fast?" Boulder asked.

"Mr. Prescott just want's what makes good TV," Cody said.

"Then we do it in style!" Blades said with jazz hands.

"Are you stupid? We'll end up on _Ridiculousness_ ," First Aid said.

xxx

 _Man, we need a better fence around the lion cage,_ Jackie thought in dragon mode as she stood between Nancy and the lion.

 _" Give me the FOOD!" _the lion roared.

Jackie reared, spread her wings, and roared slamming her front limbs into the ground.

The lion ran away whimpering with its tail between its legs.

Jackie lowered her head so Nancy could climb up.

"Hey, Kid! Get a good grip on her horn!" Miko said.

Jackie raised her head with Nancy on top and got her upper half out of the enclosure and laid her head on the ground, allowing Nancy to get off and into her mother's arms.

Jackie carefully got all the way out with help from the bots and saw Chief and Huxley arguing.

"Here, Jackie, drink this. You'll un-dragon faster," Jack opened a cola for her.

"Let's get her away from those two," Miko pointed at the two arguing men.

"Why?" Kade asked.

"So she won't get too stressed out."

xxx

Huxley snuck into the garage and took the squilsh lava lamp. _I hope the Burnses are ready for their close up!_

He snuck back out, not knowing K-9 saw it all.

"Chief, I think Huxley's up to something," he commed.

xxx

Later that evening, Chief answered an emergency call.

"Emergency dispatch."

 _"There's trouble at the dam!"_ A distorted voice said.

"Should we hurry... Huxley?"

xxx

"Yes! Wait, what?"

 _"Phony emergency calls are highly illegal. Consider your TV show cancelled."_

K-9 showed up behind Huxley and growled.

"Uh, your dog is loose."

 _"I see that. Can you drop him off at the firehouse?"_

"Yes, Chief Burns," he turned off his cell phone and looked at the dam. "Another dud!"

K-9 followed him inside the van and buckled up.

"Wow! Good dog! Very safe, too!" Huxley scratched K-9 behind the ears before buckling up and drove to the firehouse.

K-9 saw the empty lava lamp and thought he saw an unusual green glow from the dam. _I hope he pulls over so I can contact Chief if he gets out! I hope Jackie's on a ride so I can tell her!_

 _xxx_

Huxley and K-9 pulled to the stoplight in the wooded area.

"I-I mean, I just want a bigger audience, you know? " Huxley asked K-9.

K-9 nodded.

"Maybe I can cohost the YouTube channel!"

K-9 perked his ears and whined.

"Fine, editing!" Huxley looked in the rear-view mirror and saw a speeding semi. He stuck his head out the window. "Hey, slow down! You're gonna-"

The truck crashed.

K-9 unbuckled as Huxley got out to call 911. He ran into the forest and bumped into a deer.

 _"Can you send a message for me?"_ He asked.

The deer cocked her head in curiosity.

xxx

"Oh! What's this?" Miko put on a metal life jacket like Jackie's, but with pink neon instead of blue.

"The new Nyaid," Jackie said. "It can put out fires."

"How?" Raf asked.

"CO2 and water," Jackie's hair and eyes turned blue. She grabbed Miko's hand. "Time to test it out."

"Uh, what?!" Miko asked.

xxx

Kade hung up on Huxley. "Dad, Huxley called in another-"

" _Guys, I don't know if Huxley called this in, but a semi driver crashed and the thing's on fire!_ " K-9 said.

The line rang again.

Chief answered it. "Well, that's just great!"

"What is it?" Cody asked.

"Jackie says there's 'lime Jell-O' in the reservoir."

xxx

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" Miko screamed as Jackie filled Miko's water reserves using the mayor's hose water.

"What is going on?" Luskey asked.

"There's a fire," Jackie said as she closed Miko's reserves. "I'll make a burn zone."

xxx

Huxley poured out his coffee pot on the flames to put out the fire, didn't really work, when the emergency team showed up.

"I didn't do it! Dangerous intersection, remember?"

Chase and Boulder moved the truck.

"Where's the driver?" Chief asked.

"He ran and it looks like your dog did, too."

"Guys, we need fire breaks!" Kade said.

"Can I help?"

"Get out of here!" Chief said.

 _"Dad, Lindsy said that Jackie and Miko took the new Nyaid to put out the fire."_

"You can take those two back to Jackie's!"

xxx

Miko's water hoses weren't working when Huxley showed up.  
 _  
Uh, I really need to work out the kinks,_ Jackie thought...

xxx

"Why didn't I learn that in firefighter training?" Kade asked as Heatwave used maple sap to put out the fire.

"Hey, this is a good substitute!" Heatwave said. "Kade, hook up a hose to my reserves!"

The team saw flames jump Jackie's firebreak.

xxx

Huxley was running back and forth from his van with pots of coffee to put out the fire while Miko used the garden hose.

Ally and the twins showed up with fire extinguishers.

"Where are your bots?" Luskey asked.

"Couldn't get them in time!" Ally said.

"Jackie, do a belly flop!" Miko commed.

Jackie body slammed the flames, putting 50% out, but was too winded to again.

Heatwave used the sap to put out the flames.

"Huxley, your show is-"

"I changed my mind on it," Huxley said.

xxx

"Where's Boulder?" Blades asked. "He's helping me pick out a book."

"He and Graham are helping Doc with the squilsh," K-9 said.

"I got a text form Jackie," Cody said. "She wants us to see the news."

Huxley, Ally, the twins, and the truck driver were cleaning sap off the mayor's house.

"Best show ever!" Blades said.


	20. Blame the Gremlins

Blades was getting his kite out of the tree.

"Too much sting, dude," Jackie said.

"It was a work of art," Boulder said.

"So that's how they become power line decorations," Heatwave said.

"If it had flier technology-"

"I'm going to stop you there, Chase," Chroma said.

"Why?"

"It wouldn't be a kite with that stuff."

They all heard an engine sputtering and saw Taylor struggling to fly his plane with smoke coming from the engine.

"Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue!"

xxx

"Taylor, steer the plane away from the island and use your parachute to get to safety," Dani said over the comm.

The plane turned to the ocean and Taylor bailed out, deployed his chute, and landed on the beach, where First Aid and the twins were waiting.

The plane turned back to the island.

Dani put on a harness that attached her to Blades.

"Be careful, please," Blades said. "I crashed a kite today and I don't want you to get hurt."

Dani got in the plane and made it level and Blades cheered.

"Don't celebrate yet," Dani saw they were heading to the lab. "I can't steer! Someone tell Doc Greene to evacuate!" Dani had no choice but to bail.

She and Blades looked in terror as the plane glided to the lab.

xxx

Doc Greene and Brains ran out with a foam cannon and shot three globs at the plane and it landed by the garage safely.

The rescue team showed up.

"Are you okay?" Dani asked.

"I am thanks to the collision foam cannon Boulder, Brains, and I worked on," Doc said.

"Nice going!" Kade said. "It put out the fire, too."

"Not that we intended that," Boulder said.

"That's because I added flame retardant," Brains said.

"You can release the plane now, Doc," Chief said.

Doc flicked a switch and shot a disintegration beam which un-encased the plane.

"Also my idea," Brains said.

"I wonder what made the engine fail," Cody said.

Dani opened the engine cover. "Electrical short. But what made the plane turn back after Taylor ditched it?"

"Gremlins?" Graham joked.

Kade backed up in fear, causing Cody and Jackie confusion.

Dani and Graham joked about gremlins a bit more and laughed.

Chase laughed too. "What are gremlins?"

xxx

Jackie was in a humanoid dragon form as she searched the very top shelf of the bookcase for a pop culture cryptozoology book she saw in dragon mode once. "Got it." She picked out the book and handed it to Cody.

Cody turned to the page on gremlins. "Gremlins are mischievous creatures that mess with machinery and electronics.

"The very nerve!" Chase exclaimed.

"Sweetie, they aren't real," Chroma said.

"What do they look like?" Boulder asked.

"Like Gollum from 'Lord of the Rings'," Jackie said.

They all looked up what Jackie said.

"Ah! Those things get into machines and mess them up?! Ughh..." Blades shuttered.

"They. Aren't. Real," First Aid was just about having it with Blades and his gullibility.

"That would explain the mechanical maladies that plague the island," Chase said. "Runaway lawn mowers, for example."

"Chroma and I just-

"And Mr. Harrison's hoverpack malfunctions," Boulder said.

"And why I can't fly high," Blades said.

"That's your fear of heights," Heatwave said.

"Nope. Gremlins."

First Aid's bottom left optic lid twitched.

"Well, the gremlins mythos goes as far back as the _Twilight Zone_ era. So, that's interesting," Jackie said.

"People blame them when tech isn't working right," Cody said.

"Now that I believe," Heatwave said.

"You know what else is considered a myth?" Blades asked. "Aliens. And yet..."

First Aid got in his face. "Don't. Push. Your. Luck."

"Are you okay?" Heatwave put a hand on the medic's shoulder. "Do you need a day off?"

xxx

K-9 was shaking Kade awake. "C'mon, dude! You're just having a bad dream!"

"AHH! Gremlin!" Kade punched K-9 in the face.

"Owrooor!" K-9 fell on his rear and held his nose. "Dude, I'm a fragging Maximal!"

"Man, that is going to bruise. Sorry," Kade rubbed his knuckles.

"Let's get some ice."

Kade got out of bed and the two walked into the kitchen.

"Dream you were flying the plane and something went wrong, weren't you?" K-9 asked as he filled the ice bags.

"How did you know?" Kade asked.

"I used to be a therapy dog for people with PTSD. You pick up a thing or two," K-9 said in the chair next to Kade.

"How long were you a therapy dog?"

"Weaned 'till three."

"'Weaned'? Aren't you Cybertronian?"

"Genetically, yes, but I was born on earth. My mom was a seeing-eye dog and my dad sniffed out bombs. They're like me. Maximals."

Cody walked into the kitchen. "Are you guys okay? I heard Kade yell out and hit something."

K-9's ears twitched. "I, uh, spooked him."

"Kade, it sounded like you were having a nightmare. Doc Greene used to have nightmares, too, but he made a machine that got rid of them."

"I can handle a bad dream," Kade said. "Why don't you go back to-"

The emergency line rang.

K-9 picked it up. "Griffin Rock emergency... We're on it," K-9 put the phone down. "Boys, grab some colas to wake up, we gotta go."

xxx

Heatwave met the three boys in the garage. "Two night shifts in a row?"

"I'm a night person, okay. We have a loose wind turbine," Kade said.

"We're coming as back up," K-9 said as Cody helped him into an extra firefighter uniform.

"That's not going to work," Heatwave said.

"Worked for Raphael in the first Ninja Turtles movie."

Heatwave transformed and allowed the trio in.

"Cody, can I borrow your phone? I need to send a text," K-9 said.

xxx

K-9 whimpered as he pulled Cody away from the loose tower. Mach Kick did the same with Jackie.

"I think ya should call for back up," the thoroughbred said.

"Just need to tighten the anchor bolts," Kade said.

"Uh, oh," K-9 said when the firefighter fell asleep.

"You get 'im away and I'll tighten the bolts," Mach Kick said.

K-9, Jackie, and Cody dragged Kade away as Mach tightened the bolts.

Mach was finishing the last bolt when Kade woke up screaming about gremlins again.

"Kade, Kade, calm down!" Cody said.

"All right, I'm done," Mach said.

"Wow, Mach is huge in bot mode," Kade said.

Heatwave transformed into vehicle mode. "Let's go."

As all of them went to their homes, a metal creaking drew their attention.

"Mach, how did you tighten them?" Jackie asked.

"Correctly," Mach said.

"Someone's shaking the tower!" K-9 shouted.

"Gremlins?!" Kade yelped.

"No, a hover!" Jackie saw the outline of the shaker.

Heatwave let his passengers out and turned to the hover. "What are you doing?!"

"Rotor's orders!" the mech knocked down the tower, ripped off the fan and struck Heatwave with it.

Kade grabbed Cody and ran.

The mech stopped them and dropped his cammo. He looked like a...

"G-g-gremlin!" Kade screamed and froze up.

The mech raised his hand to smush the firefighter as Cody kept running. "Insult to injury!"

"Kade! No!" Cody yelled.

Heatwave body slammed the mech. "Kade, keep running!"

Kade was still frozen.

The mech shoved his fingers into Heatwave's belly wound.

"Urk! K-kade... run..." Heatwave tried not to faint.

Mach picked up Kade and ran while Jackie went dragon and attacked.

xxx

The humans were washing their bots the next day when Cody walked out of the garage.

"Where are you going, son?" Chief asked.

"Uh, Frankie's," Cody said.

"To check on Kade and Heatwave?" K-9 asked.

"What's going on?" Chief asked.

"And why is Heatwave with him?" First Aid asked as he and the others transformed.

"Kade's been having gremlin nightmares," Cody said.

"Uh, that might be our fault," Dani said.

"Might?" Chief asked.

"Let me guess, elder sibling bossing around so you scare them with monster?" Ally asked.

"How did you know?" Graham asked.

"I'm a middle child."

"Why are nightmares so scary?" Blades asked.

"Everything seems very real when you're having a nightmare," Cody said.

"If that is the case, then mine would be in a town where no one broke the law, rendering me useless," Chase said.

"For me, cumulus clouds," Blades pointed at one that looked like a shark. "They're nature's shape shifters."

"Jackie's afraid of octopuses, but not that much," Chroma said.

"I-I already lived through mine," First Aid shuttered.

"Dani, Graham, for your sakes I hope Doc can help Kade," Chief said.

xxx

Cody arrived at Doc's just as Kade got into the machine.

"Hi, Cody," Jackie said.

"Hi, are you checking on Kade?" Cody asked.

"No, Heatwave," Jackie pointed to the red mech sitting down. "He still needs to be in stasis."

"I'm fine," Heatwave said with a small wince.

"Now, Kade, just fall-"

Kade sort of cut Doc off with a big snore.

"So much for a sound proof bed pod," Jackie said.

"Doc, are you sure this won't hurt him?" Heatwave asked.

"Dude, it's been tested before. It's okay."

The machine turned on and the giant glass tube next to the pod filled with purple smoke. The smoke faded leaving three pink gremlins.

"Aww!" Jackie clasped her hands. "Stitch!"

The gremlins activated their head spikes and more appeared.

"Kade dreams of those?!" Frankie exclaimed.

"No wonder he has nightmares!" Cody said.

"Still adorable!" Jackie said.

So many appeared that they broke the chamber.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Cody asked.

"I don't think so. Dad?" Frankie asked.

"Don't worry, they'll vanish once they've used up their energy," Doc said as some began to poof away, but more were still coming out of the tube.

"I'm waking up Kade before we get more," Heatwave turned off the sleep chamber and Kade woke up screaming about... "We know." Heatwave pointed at the gremlins.

"Hey, they're recharging with electronics," Jackie said as she tried to catch one.

"Cured yet?" Heatwave asked Kade.

"I wanna go back to sleep!" Kade said.

One got on a newspaper launcher and Jackie agsabered both.

Then they all escaped the lab.

"That isn't good," Jackie said as she coaxed one back with a solar pacifier and swaddled it. "I'll call you 'Angel'!"

"You are _so_ weird," Kade said.

xxx

K-9 was chewing on a rawhide when he saw a gremlin on the window behind Dani and Graham.

"Guys, look behind you slowly," he whispered.

They turned around and yelped when they saw the gremlin trying to eat the window.

Chief gasped and accidentally dropped his not-so-hot coffee cup on K-9's head.

xxx

The rescue team exited the firehouse to find gremlins running amuck.

"These gremlins are destructive," Boulder said.

"And weirdly cute," K-9 said.

"They're energized crystals representing figments of Kade's imagination," Graham said.

"So, they're basically walking cartoons?" Dani asked.

Blades gasped. "Cartoons aren't real?!"

First Aid groaned and face palmed.

"Authentic or not, these creatures are stealing electricity," Chase said.

"Like Kremzeek!" Chroma pounded her fists.

"'Kremzeek'?" T.J. asked.

"I'll explain later," Ally said.

"Looks like that electricity is what's keeping them going," Chief said as Don ran out of his car after the gremlins killed the battery.

The gremlins pounced on First Aid and Chroma, draining their electronics.

Chroma grabbed a handful and poofed them.

First Aid's knees buckled as they finished draining his electronics.

"Are you okay?!" Blades said as he helped him up.

"Mm-mm," First Aid shook his head.

"Get him back inside," Chief said.

Graham looked at First Aid's wrists. "The gremlins totally barbecued his electrical systems!"

"So, how do we keep them from frying all the tech on the island?" Dani asked.

"With bait," Chief said.

"Yeah! What bait? Worms?" T.J. asked.

"No, batteries, you idiot," Raychel said.

xxx

Heatwave, Cody, Kade, and Jackie arrived when the others defeated most of the gremlins.

"Looks like you guys had all the fun," Kade said. "I really wanted to have at those rascals."

"Yeah, right," Jackie and Heatwave said in unison.

Jackie saw something out of the corner of her eye. "You missed some."

"They're heading northwest!" Cody said.

"There's not much out there except for Jackie's place and... Oh," Dani said.

"The power plant!" Graham said.

"Griffin Rock will be crippled if they get there," Chief said.

"Looks like you'll get your chance to tangle after all," Heatwave told Kade. "Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue!"

xxx

"Shouldn't Graham be leading this?" Kade asked. "He lives for this stuff."

"Did you forget-" Heatwave was cut off by Jackie.

"Your gonads?" Jackie crossed her arms.

"I was going to say firefighters code."

"'First through the door'," Kade said.

They approached the plant.

"Or sometimes the wall," Heatwave rammed through the wall.

The gremlins were already starting to drain the plant.

Kade started stammering.

"Did you forget your gonads?" Jackie asked.

"Look, Kade, if you don't deal with this now, you'll be stuck with them forever," Heatwave said.

"Got it!" Kade exited Heatwave with Jackie.

Jackie went T1 mode.

The two ran to the emergency cut off.

A forklift being unintentionally run by gremlins barreled towards them.

Jackie lifted Kade up and over the forklift and they dropped like rocks.

"Man, you're heavy!" Jackie breathed.

Kade ran to the switch and a gremlin jumped onto it.

"Uh, Jackie, can you tell it to get off?" Kade asked.

"That's not how my animal communication works!"

Kade gulped and turned off the power plant.

All the gremlins poofed away.

"I knew I could do it!" Kade said.

Heatwave and Jackie rolled their eyes.

The trio exited the building when the others arrived.

"Not to brag, but I stopped the gremlins all by myself!" Kade was bragging.

Jackie got out her phone and texted Doc Greene to put the anti-nightmare device in best left forgotten.

"Kade, Graham and I are sorry about teasing you," Dani said.

"It's okay," Kade put his arms around his two younger siblings. "Every single scary, slimy, scaly gremlin is gone."

"Kade take a couple days off to rest," Chief said.

K-9 was sleeping in his dog bed when he heard Dani and Graham screaming about gremlins.

"Ugh! Not again!"

xxx

Rotors was pissed that the Insecticon under his command failed his mission.

"Sir, do you need anything thing?" Darksyde asked.

"Yes, I want those two to die!" He pointed at the pictures of Heatwave and First Aid. "Now, get out while I plot!"


	21. Feed the Beast

Jackie was riding Abby when she came across Cody and the four main bots.

"Hey, guys," she said. "Stargazing?"

"No, astronomy homework," Cody said.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Chase asked.

"Can't sleep," Jackie dismounted. "Too much cola at Anime Night."

"Hey, there's the Mertonian star cluster!" Blades pointed.

"Check your optics," Heatwave said. "Everyone knows the Mertonian's way over there." He gestured the opposite way.

"Maybe you call it the Big Dumper," Boulder said to Cody.

"It's Dipper. And the Mertonian won't be visible until September," Jackie corrected.

"What is the proper term for that?" Chase pointed at something moving in the brush.

Cody looked through the telescope. "Whoa! No way!" He snapped the camera. "Guys, we just got the Maine Ridge Monster on camera!"

"I don't think that will satisfy your teacher."

"What's the Maine Ridge Monster?" Blades asked.

"Another name for Bigfoot," Jackie said.

"We have to warn the island!" Cody said.

"Why?" Boulder asked. "It isn't doing anything."

"Because it's a monster and-and they do bad things!" Cody said.

"That's all I need!" Heatwave got up and went to attack.

"No, Heatwave! That's a-" Jackie started.

"Ha! Gottcha! -AAAHH! Chemical attack! Chemical attack! I'm blind!"

"...skunk," Jackie face palmed before getting a spray bottle. "Let's help the big baby."

"Phew! How can such a small creature make such a big stink?" Boulder asked as he held his nose.

"I'll explain later," Jackie sprayed the eyewash in Heatwave's optics.

"Ow!" Heatwave yelped. "That stings!"

"That's the skunk spray."

"According to the 'Lad Pioneer Handbook', which I never leave without, the skunk smell cure recipe is a tomato juice bath," Chase said.

"Can we do that back at the firehouse and away from the monster?" Blades asked.

"Yeah, I need to show my family the picture," Cody said.

xxx

"Eh, I don't believe it," Dani said.

"But look at the photo!" Cody said.

"I am. Sorry, Cody, it looks like a hoax."

"Yeah, the Maine Ridge Monster is just sci-fi conspiracy theories," Graham said.

"Wait, wait, wait, guys, guys. I know what this is. It's a photo of Mr. Tallbot- the lifeguard!" Kade joked.

"He shouldn't hike without some neon orange," Ally joked with him before helping Cody. "But, look, aliens were thought to be nonexistent."

"I know what I saw!" Cody took the picture from Kade. "You believe me, right, Dad?"

"I believe you believe. But I don't think this photo will convince anyone it's more than a good campfire story," Chief said. "Now, everyone get some rest for the lunch fund-raiser tomorrow. At least I can promise you a monster of a sandwich."

"Right," Cody sadly said.

"At least you won't be fasting for religious reasons," Ally said.

"Um, why?" Kade asked.

"Ramadan's tomorrow and I can't eat while it's light out."

xxx

Jackie got a beef quesadilla from the sandwich blimp and sat on Blades' landing gear as the bot and his human observed the fund-raiser.

"Dad, since when is a sandwich sale a reason for us to be here?" Dani asked.

"Since the mayor decided it would bring in more people," Chief said.

Ally walked from the mayor's Magic Meat stand with a free sample.

"Aren't you fasting?" Cody asked.

"First Aid said if I didn't get something to eat he'd put an I.V. in my arm. I don't really like needles," she looked at the piece of 'meat'. "Does this look pork based to you guys?"

Cody saw Mr. Prescott's news camera. "Be right back, Dad!" Cody ran to Huxley. "Hey, Mr. Prescott!"

"Can't you see I'm doing a story right now?" Huxley asked.

"I know, that's why I wanted to show you this," Cody handed him the picture.

"A blurry photo of Mr. Talbott?"

"No. The Maine Ridge Monster."

"I have real stories to- I'll save it for a rainy day," he turned on his camera. "This is Huxley Prescott here at the sandwich sale with Doc Greene's new Magnetic Insta-Grill."

"It revolutionizes the backyard barbecue!" Doc said. "Frankie, fire her up!"

"One burger coming up!" She loaded the cannon like machine with a burger.

Doc explained how the machine worked and caught the cooked burger with a bun and took a bite. "Science is delicious!"

"Ready for another?" Frankie asked.

"Why settle for a boring burger when you can have a Magic Meat burger?" The mayor loaded a whole can of meat into the machine.

"That's too big a serving!"

"Nonsense! You can never have too much Magic Meat!" The mayor turned on the machine and it started to make an odd noise. "Or, maybe you can."

xxx

Raychel was recording Ally arguing robot First Aid while T.J. chewed the free sample before losing his lunch.

"Ugh! Dude!" She said.

"That isn't meat! I don't think it's even food!" T.J. said between heaves.

"Go get a soda!"

First Aid pulled out the I.V. kit and Ally passed out.

Something hit the sandwich blimp, causing it to catch fire.

 _"Ground team, evacuate the area!"_ Chief said.

"First Aid, give me the first aid kit and get Ally out of here!" Raychel said before she turned off her phone and grabbing the kit and ran to the others.

xxx

Mr. Talbott saw Ally on a bus bench with an I.V. in her arm hanging from the schedule.

He walked over to her and tried to wake her up. "Deputy Ally? Are you okay?"

Ally groaned as she rolled off the bench, accidentally ripping out the I.V. "Oh, shi..." She fainted again when she saw the needle.

"Hey! We need a doctor over here!" Mr. Talbott called to the fundraiser. He ripped off his shirt to stop the bleeding from the needle.

Dani and Raychel ran to the bench.

"What happened?" Dani asked.

"Oh, I think I know a bot to ask," Raychel said.

xxx

"Tonight, we're catching evidence that the Maine Ridge Monster is real," Cody said as he packed a satchel.

"Perhaps we will discover if it poses imminent threat," Chase said.

"I got a score to settle!" Heatwave punched his fists.

"No, you're not," First Aid grabbed his arm. "You need another tomato juice bath."

Heatwave was protesting as First Aid dragged him to the Sigma.

"Jackie and Emerald are coming to join us to see if Jackie can communicate with it," Boulder said.

"Those teeth and claws don't look friendly," Cody said.

"Well, Jackie's are scarier," Blades said.

"Yeah, she tried to eat me once," Chroma said as she loaded her blaster.

xxx

"Graham, can I ask a question?" Boulder asked the college student.

"Sure," Graham bookmarked his page.

"If something looks scary, does it mean it is?"

"It is until you understand it more. I'm a bit scared of my quantum mechanics homework right now. Think you can help?"

"Sure, but I have some research to do."

xxx

"Where are you, ya cryptid?" Emerald called out.

"Come out, cryptid!" Jackie called.

"Or not if you don't want to, Ridgey!" Boulder called.

"'Ridgey'?"

"I thought if I gave him a name, he'd seem less scary."

"Have you not seen creature features?" Blades said. "That only gives a name to call out before the monster rips you to shreds!"

"Can you tell us more about the Maine Ridge Monster, Cody?"

"According to the internet, the Maine Ridge Monster was first seen on the mainland in the 1800's and is eight feet tall- or 18 feet, and has a white patch on his chest- or no white patch," Cody read the online article.

"Oh, the internet," Jackie said.

"Tsk, tsk. These eyewitness accounts are so unreliable," Chase said. "Is that why Chief Burns is skeptical?"

"Well, that, and there's never been physical proof of Ridgey's existence," Cody said.

"Until THAT!" Blades pointed at knocked down trees and they all heard an odd roar.

"Let's catch a cryptid!" Emerald said.

xxx

"Is that a wig?" Jackie ate a couple of gummies.

"This is so cool!" Cody took pictures with an old camera.

"I don't get it. Why is he attacking the old cannery?" Boulder asked.

"Because monsters are... bad," Blades hid behind his hands.

"Food?" Jackie suggested.

The cryptid entered the building.

"He's going inside!" Cody said.

The gang entered the cannery and saw the plausible Giagantopithagus trashing the place.

Breaking, entering, vandalism," Chase listed the offenses.

"I don't think you can charge Ridgey," Emerald said. "He ain't a human. He's some sort of 'scwatch."

They heard an alarm breaking.

"And complete violation of safety codes. I'm sorry, Boulder, I have to agree with Blades on this. Ridgey is bad," Chase said.

"Smells like Luskey," Jackie said.

A can rolled to them.

Boulder picked up the can. "Maybe he's looking for something?"

Ridgey jumped in front of them and roared.

"Emerald, pigment," Jackie held out her arm and Emerald injected her with a phenotype changer.

Ridgey charged Cody, who used his old camera's flash to blind him. Ridgey blindly stumbled and broke a support beam, causing the building to collapse.

"Don't hurt Ridgey!" Boulder said as he held up the building.

Jackie went dragon, but instead of blue, she looked like a skunk. She got in front of Ridgey and stamped her front feet.

Ridgey whimpered and ran, some hair falling off as he escaped through the ceiling.

"Jackie, help us keep this place from falling!" Emerald said.

Jackie used her wings and body to support the ceiling with a little help from a Predaqueen shot from Emerald and the bots fixed the support.

"Can't wait to show Dad the- oh, no! My camera!" Cody picked up the now broken camera.

"Let me see that," Emerald picked up the camera and looked at the remains. "Film roll's intact. Let's get them developed tomorrow."

"Hey, the fur!" Blades picked up the hair. "Chase, do you have an evidence bag?"

Chase held open a bag and Blades put the hair in.

"We should get it tested," Emerald said.

They all heard a gurgle.

"Was that Jackie's tummy?" Blades asked.

"Yep."

"Did you use..." Boulder trailed.

"Skunticon CNA? Yep."

"She isn't going to..." Chase put Cody in his cab.

Jackie nodded.

"Hold it in!" Everyone yelled.

"Why did Ridgey come here?" Boulder asked.

Jackie opened her mouth and put a claw into it... And accidentally ripped one.

"Ugh! Primus' sake!" Emerald held her nose and waved the air.

"I can't see!" Blades screamed.

"At least we can still hear!" Boulder said.

"What did she eat?!" Chase exclaimed.

"About 20 things of beef and broccoli!" Emerald said.

xxx

"Graham, we'll have to check out the cannery to see how the structure is doing," Chief said before turning to Cody. "Please don't do that again. You can get hurt or worse."

"Do you think it was the cryptid?" Cody asked.

"I'm not sure. It could have been a bear or someone in a costume."

"And we haven't heard back from the lab or the photo shop yet," K-9 added before looking at Graham eating the canned meat. "Really?"

"Boulder, you think it was Ridgey, right?"

Boulder looked at the others.

"Rascal was aggressive, but was ain't no bear. More like a hominid or great ape," Emerald said.

"Many monsters have been proven fake: Nessie, yeti, Prince Charming," Chase listed.

"Prince Charming is supposed to be human, Chase," Chroma said.

"Monsters are real. I've seen them in movies," Blades said.

First Aid groaned loudly and face palmed.

"Those are special effects, Blades," Dani said. "CGI."

"But it is him? Right?" Cody asked.

"We don't have enough data," Boulder said. "Right, Graham?"

Graham noisily ate the Magic Meat.

"Ugh! Bro! How can you- mrff! - eat that?!" Kade covered his mouth.

"Let me guess, up late and nothing to eat?" K-9 put a dog gas mask on.

"Yeah, the taste and the aftertaste grow on you!" Graham licked his finger.

Emerald's pager beeped. "Looks like the fur was faux, but it had human cells on it. Razor can't get a good DNA sample from it."

Then the Burnses got a Skype call. Chief answered it.

"Chief, I've been robbed!" It was Luskey. "Someone broke into my storage cellar and stole all of my Magic Meat! By the way, is Ally OK?"

The team looked at Graham.

"She's fine," Chief said.

"Graham, I hope you have an alibi," Kade said.

"Zombies wouldn't eat that shit," K-9 quietly said.

Graham burped. "'Scuse me!"

xxx

"Wow, there aren't even dust bunnies," Dani said as the three oldest Burns siblings looked through the cellar.

"I want that thief put in stocks!" Luskey exclaimed.

"We don't really use stocks anymore," Chief said.

Cody saw an empty can on the lawn and picked it up. He dusted it off and saw a logo the cans in the cannery had. "Dad, look!"

"My Magic Meat! Aw, it's empty!" The mayor threw the can and they saw a trail of cans.

"Looks like the thief had to eat and run," Chief pressed his comm. "Team, get into your bots. We have a lead."

"The stocks, Chief! The stocks!" Luskey reminded as the left.

xxx

It was night when the team reached the end of the trail... At the firehouse.

"Oh, hey, you're home," K-9 said in his robot mode.

"K-9, did the thief run out of Magic Meat here?" Chief asked.

"Hey, I didn't notice anything weird. Did you check the cameras?"

Cody turned on the comtab and they saw a cryptid break the camera.

"What was that?" Kade asked.

"Graham started to groan before turning into the cryptid.

"What the frag?!" First Aid and Chroma said in unison.

"I'll call Jackie!" K-9 slammed the door.

"Get him his pajamas, too!" First Aid said.

"I think we have blankets in the bunker," Chroma said.

Graham ran off.

"If that was CGI, it was very well done," Blades whimpered.

"How could this happen?" Chief said.

"If someone else finds him..." Cody trailed.

"Let's go, team. Blades, Dani, get an air view."

"Don't worry, Chief, we'll catch that thing before it hurts someone," Heatwave said.

"'It'? This is Graham we're talking about," Boulder said.

"It- he- isn't... Him right now. Let's go."

The bots transformed and let they're humans in.

"Where are we going, Dad?" Cody asked.

 _"Obviously, to get-"_

"Go to Doc's!" First Aid said as he and Chroma exited the firehouse and followed the others.

"Read my mind," Chief said as he looked at the can.

xxx

Chief, Cody, Frankie, and Doc looked at the news on the monster hunt.

"This is bad," Cody said.

"Frightened people do dangerous things. Doc, have you seen this logo before? Graham was eating from it before he... Changed," Chief handed Doc the can.

"Fo-Foo! Where did he get it?" Doc asked.

"What's that, Dad?" Frankie asked.

"Forever Food. It had no expiration date, but failed when I was a Junior Scientist."

"Cold War era, right?" K-9 asked.

"Correct. Research was canceled when they realized a lack of UV rays caused odd behavior."

"That's science code for 'we have no idea what just happened, but it's pretty bad'," Frankie said.

"Like 'Fo-Foo turned my brother into a monster' bad?" Cody asked.

"That sounds about right."

"There was some stored in Bunker 16, by the mayor's house and in the old agricultural bunker, under Jackie and Lindsy's barn, but they burned it. It is highly addictive."

"That's why Ridgey robbed it," Cody said.

"The only place left to find them-" Doc began.

"Don't say it," Chief said.

"Is on the 'Best Left Forgotten' shelves."

"Ugh, couldn't something in BLF stay forgotten?"

"I'm afraid Griffin Rock is quite thorough in cataloging its scientific failures."

xxx

K-9 had activated his transmetal mode when Boulder arrived back at the firehouse.

"Shouldn't you be helping?" He asked.

"I need to get something," Boulder said.

xxx

Lindsy ran into the BLF and loaded her tranquilizer gun. She searched the area and found the cryptids near flammable material. She got ready to shoot.

Boulder got between Heatwave and the cryptids.

"Out of the way, Boulder," Heatwave said. "We gotta restrain those two."

"Let me see if I can get through to Graham," Boulder turned to the college kid. "Graham! Graham! Remember when you asked me to help you with your homework? You didn't understand it and you don't understand what's going on now."

"Jackie had the same problem when she first transformed, too," K-9 added. "Almost burned down the base."

Graham seemed to calm down.

"You're scared, and I need help with that, too," Boulder said. "Come here, you have to get away from the crate of explosives."

Graham turned around and saw the mayor eating the food and we came aggressive again.

The two began to fight and Lindsy fired a tranquilizer into the mayor's shoulder and he lunged at Boulder.

Boulder dodged and fell against the nitroglycerin cases, causing one to fall.

Graham caught it and gently put it down.

"Good, I didn't have to tranquilize you," Lindsy said.

"Here, you might need this," Chroma handed him a towel.

Graham was confused, then realizes undies are gone.

xxx

" _The mayor is doing fine,"_ Ally said over the comm. " _His shoulder is sore but he is good."_

"I guess I'm glad I don't really remember being a monster," Graham said.

"Cryptid," Lindsy corrected. "It's the scientific term."

"I got a text from Razor," Chief said. "She says you need to eat- how the hell do you pronounce that?!"

"I have a way to make sure he doesn't transform at night while the Fo-Foo is still in his system," Doc opened his picnic basket. "Raw greens: raw broccoli, spinach, and Kale."

"Why didn't Razor just say that?"

"S-sorry I nearly trounced you Graham," Heatwave said.

Graham chuckled. "It's okay, I looked like a 'squatch."

"And I still smell like a skunk. Doesn't mean I am one."

"I hope we have no more creepazoids because if we have a zombie mutant potato-"

Lindsy cut Blades off. "Dani, parental lock."

Cody looked to the forest. "I know you're out there, Ridgey."

xxx

Dragon Jackie landed and let the cryptid roam free on the mainland.


	22. What Lies Below

Jackie had just finished buying treats for her livestock and mounted Abby. She rode her to the park where Dani and Taylor were on their date.

"Hi," she waved.

Dani, Taylor, and Cody waved back. Blades slightly nodded his head.

 _"Mini Death Star incoming, 7:00!_ " Abby said.

Jackie looked behind her. "MINI DEATH STAR, COMIN' IN HOT!" she went T1 and shoved the two as the weird mini Death Star cut through a tree trunk, leaving a circle.

"Whoa, what was that?" Cody asked.

"A mini Death Star!" Jackie chased the machine.

"Oh... sorry, Taylor, gonna have to rain check," Dani Turned to Blades. "Robot, copter mode, now!"

Blades transformed and let Dani and Cody in.

"I'll call the team," Cody said.

Abby sniffed a food and ate it before spitting it out. _"That wasn't potato salad OR meat loaf!"_

xxx

Jackie pulled out her agsaber, put it on 'lasso', and lassoed the device and was on the ride of her life as it went through one guy's car, crates, and buildings.

She went semi-dragon and kicked off her boots and socks and tried to grab a lamppost or something.

They got into a warehouse and she tried to fly in reverse as she dug her feet and tail into the ground, but she got pulled by the machine outside and was blinded by daylight and lost her grip on the agsaber.

The machine was about to hit Dani and Cody, but Boulder transformed into his vehicle mode and stopped it with his shovel.

"Let it go and I'll smash it!" Heatwave balled up his fist.

"Stop!" a man in what looked like ab old adventurer's outfit, sans hat, ran up to them. He pressed a button on a remote and the machine returned to him and powered down. "That device is irreplaceable!"

"Uncle Woodrow?" Cody asked.

Chief let out a sigh. "Woodrow."

The Burns siblings were excited their uncle had visited.

"'Uncle'?" Blades asked.

"Male sibling of a parent," Chase said.

"In this case-"

"Chief's brother!" Boulder cut Chroma off.

"He never told us he was visiting," First Aid said.

"Or existed," Heatwave said.

"Wonderful," Chief said unenthusiastically.

"Cody, you've grown a foot! Now you'll need three socks," Woodrow joked. "Did you guys get my postcards from Dharma? Or the scorpions from Ecuador?"

"Abby ate those. The scorpions," Jackie accidentally stepped on her agsaber, which sabered First Aid's right foot.

First Aid gritted his teeth behind his mask.

"Woodrow, this, uh, floating menace belongs to you?" Chief asked as Jackie and the Twins got the agsaber out of First Aid's foot.

"Good to see you, too, big brother. Come here, give me a decent hello," Woodrow gave Charlie a big, tight hug.

"Okay, Woody, okay..."

"Wow, high-grade titanium... Laser drill... Self-propulsion and sonar tracking... This is quite a device, Uncle Woodrow," Graham admired as T.J. borrowed Boulder to get a trailer to transport First Aid.

Woodrow released his brother. "That's my deep earth scanner. It can drill thousands of miles underground. You won't believe what it found! Proof alien life forms visited our planet thousands of years ago!" The bots slightly looked at each other. "Well, don't get all excited at once."

"It's not that," Charles said. "I just wish your homecoming was a little less... Destructive."

They looked at the hole in the warehouse.

"Yeah, sorry about that. It must've accidentally turned on when I got off the ferry. But, look at that! Still getting the best toys, Charlie! Where'd you get them?" Woodrow looked at the bots. "Hey, where'd the green one go?"

"They're government issued rescue robots," Jackie said as T.J. and Boulder came back with the flatbed trailer.

"First Aid, get on the trailer," T.J. said as the bot limped and got on the trailer.

"Watch what they can do, Uncle Woodrow! Robots, transform!" Cody and said.

Heatwave, Blades, Chase, and Chroma transformed into their vehicle modes.

"Whoa! Impressive! Hey, what's the mileage like?" Woodrow joked as he entered Chase.

"Now, Woodrow, you c-"

"Hey, what's for dinner?" Woodrow cut his brother off (A/N: totally me when I get home).

Chief sighed again. "All right, Woodrow, go easy. This isn't Dad's old jalopy." Chief buckled in.

Woodrow flipped on the lights and sirens and drove off fast.

"Well... That's Uncle Woodrow," Dani said.

"He's an archeologist... Maybe. And, an inventor... Sometimes. He's been around the world a lot... I think," Cody said.

"He doesn't seem anything like the chief," Boulder noted.

"You clearly haven't seen enough family sitcoms," Jackie said before going T1 and flying off.

xxx

Heatwave poked the DES. "Ugh. I don't get it. Why is Chief's brother so interested in aliens?"

"This planet is so amazing," Boulder said. "Why would anyone want to look for... Us?"

"Because we're awesome!" Blades said. "But who sends scorpions as a gift? No thanks."

"Maybe he brought some with him," Heatwave said as Chroma put a toy scorpion on Blades' shoulder.

"AHH! Not funny."

"All I know is, Woodrow Burns forced me to drive over the speed limit and I was unable to stop it," Chase looked away in shame as Chroma patted his shoulder.

"Most people look for aliens in OUTER space-" the bots went into bot mode when they heard Woodrow's voice as the Burnses entered the bunker. "But my research made me realize that we should be looking in INNER space." He pressed a button on the DES. "Inside our earth. So, I made six DES spheres to look all across our planet. The other five are still out there... But this baby has all the evidence I need. Right in my hometown, or rather under it. An alien civilization in one of the caverns." The DES started to show the images. "Housing structures..."

"Looks like rock formations, to me," Chief said.

"Communication signals..."

"Or water dripping."

"Even aliens themselves."

"Or shadows on the wall."

"That's the difference between us, Charlie. I'm curious to know for sure."

The DES showed a picture of a blue crystal. A curious Heatwave took a picture with his insignia.

"So, I'm going to borrow the town's old driller," Woodrow turned to his family. "You remember, the one at the end of the old tunnels?"

"That old driller? It hasn't been used in years," Graham said.

"I think I can get it running. I'll follow the coordinates from my DES and I'll have my proof."

"That's awesome!" Cody said.

"You can come with me, Cody! All of you! A once-in-a-lifetime journey to the center of the earth!"

The kids thought it would be awesome, too.

"Woodrow! My family just can't drop everything and go with you on an expedition!" Chief scolded. "Especially..."

"Especially with me?" Woodrow finished the sentence.

"Give us a minute, kids."

The two brothers walked out.

"The human sibling relationship seems to be a complex one," Chase noted.

"Don't you guys have siblings?" Cody asked.

"Not traditionally," Boulder said.

"But we do have parents. It's a bit like the One Child policy China has, but not enforced," Chroma explained.

"It kinda depends where you live and the economy," Blades added.

"It must get kinda lonely," Cody said.

"Hey, the most families I've seen only have one or two offspring," Chroma said. "You're the most siblings I've ever seen!"

"Lucky," Dani said in regard of the other families.

xxx

Heatwave showed Optimus Prime the picture of the blue crystal. "I wasn't sure at first, but..."

 _"You were right to contact me, Heatwave,_ " Optimus said on the screen.

"So, this blue crystal is energon?" Chief asked.

" _Yes. It could supply Autobots for years to come. Heatwave, prepare your team. I'll arrive in the morning. And then, we go underground."_

 _xxx_

K-9 was nervously whimpering.

"Don't worry, boy," Woodrow said as he worked on the driller, "I'm sure if there are any aliens, they'll be peaceful."

K-9 growled as if to say "Yeah, right."

Cody soon arrived with Boulder.

"Uncle Woodrow!" Cody opened the door. "Uncle Woodrow, what are you doing?"

"Well, I recharged the power cells, now I just need to put in the coordinates for the cavern, and the forger can start digging," Woodrow said.

"But my dad-"

"Your dad thinks my expeditions are harebrained. That I don't think things through."

"No offence, but I'm not sure stealing the forger is the best way to prove him wrong," Cody got in and closed the door.

"You're probably right, Cody. But you have big brothers. You know that a nod from them is the nicest feeling in the world. I just want to show your dad that... I'm capable of doing something that he could be proud of," Woodrow pressed a button and the machine malfunctioned.

"What's happening?"

"Uh oh!" K-9 said.

"The cells must've surged!" Woodrow said. "We're on auto pilot!"

The machine started.

"Robot, get us out of here!" Cody shouted to Boulder.

Boulder transformed and tried to help, but the driller knocked him out.

Jackie arrived with her Nyaid suit on and a camper's backpack. She splashed water on Boulder's face, waking him up. "Did they start the energon extraction already?" She pointed at the hole the driller made.

"No! Cody, K-9, and Woodrow are in trouble!" Boulder got up.

"I'll go after them and you get the others," Jackie put the bag on her front and flew down the tunnel. She used the Nyaid's magnets to hold on to the driller once she caught up.

xxx

Optimus pulled up to the firehouse with Chief Burns and Miko.

"Since when does Optimus have a caboose?" Dani whispered to Kade after she saw his trailer.

"He transforms into a semi. It only makes sense to have a trailer to help his disguise," First Aid explained.

"Looks like the vehicle trailer that car lot in our old town used for the Fourth of July," T.J. stated.

"Greetings, Rescue Bots," Optimus said.

"Nice rig!" Heatwave said.

"The transport is for moving energon to the surface. Once the Rescue Bots, Miko, Jackie, and I harvest it from underground."

"We'd like to help if we can," Chief said.

"I do not wish to endanger your family, Chief Burns."

"Great, yet another trip to the center of the earth we won't be taking," Kade said.

"But, we will need the coordinates your brother found."

"Yeah... about that," Heatwave said. "Bit of a problem."

"Woodrow's kind of... disappeared," Chief said.

"Chief! Heatwave!" Boulder ran in from the garage. "Optimus, good, you're here. Chief, Cody and your brother- the forger took off with them inside! Jackie's going after them!"

"Then, let's roll to the-"

"We'd never reach it, Heatwave. It has too much of a head start."

"It appears our mining expedition is now a rescue mission," Optimus said. "For the entire team. Rescue Bots... onto my transport."

"No offense, Opti-"

"I think I know where this is headed," Chroma cut Heatwave off. "Ally, you're gonna have to ride with Chase. Miko, you're with Kade and Heatwave."

"Okay," both girls said.

xxx

"This is defiantly the trailer!" the twins screamed as everyone else screamed as they crossed the gorge to get into the other half of the tunnel the driller made.

xxx

"Press the red triangle!" Jackie repeated.

"The kill switch! Hit it, Cody!" Woodrow said.

Cody slammed the button and the driller slowed to a halt... well, actually it hit the crystals and Jackie helped the boys out before they were buried.

"So much for our way back," Jackie said as the Nyaid's build-in energon tracker started to go off.

They followed the tracker to a beautiful energon crystal.

"Whoa! Noble!" Cody said.

K-9 licked his lips.

"Whatever that means, I agree," Woodrow said to Cody.

"Let's get to work," Jackie took off the backpack and Nyaid and ate a couple of gummies. She handed her agsaber to Cody.

As Woodrow looked around he realized it was the place the DES photographed, but his brother was right. It wasn't an alien civilization.

"Is that where the DES came in?" Cody pointed at a hole. "It must lead to the surface!"

"We can't fit, Cody," Woodrow said. "We'll probably be stuck here for- what the fuck?!" Woodrow saw dragon Jackie. "Don't tell your dad I said that."

"That's just Jackie's dragon mode. We don't know how she got it."

"She's an X-Man?"

"Kinda."

"Well, that's the only upside to this day," Woodrow sat down. "I didn't get proof of aliens."

"Don't worry. You'll find it someday."

The two heard chittering and albino giant spiders came out of the hole and webbed the two.

Jackie shrieked and swallowed some energon crystals for a sort of stomach pouch she had while K-9 growled and activated his transmetal mode. They attacked the spiders.

The others arrived and helped fight the spiders.

"A new robot! Impressive!" Woodrow said in regards to Optimus as Miko helped them out of the webs.

"And I thought regular spiders were bad!" She shrieked.

Miko, Jackie, and Heatwave used their fire and water to herd the spiders back into the hole.

First Aid used his electro-magnets to shove a stalagmite into the hole.

The bots let their humans out.

"What were you thinking?! Chief yelled at Woodrow.

"It wasn't his fault!" Cody said.

"Yes, it is," Woodrow said. "I never should have gone on this wild goose chase. My 'proof' didn't even turn out to be real. I'm sorry I put those two kids and your dog in danger."

"Apology accepted," Chief said.

"Aliens aren't even real. I've been chasing shadows. As soon as we get to the surface, I'll go home and get out of your family's hair."

Chase didn't get the reference.

"But, Uncle Woodrow... What are you going to do?" Cody asked.

"I don't know. All mythical things- except dragons- aren't real because there was never any proof!"

All the bots and humans looked at Chief.

"What?" He asked.

"You have to tell him, Dad," Graham said.

"You can't let him think he's a failure," Kade said.

"You have to cheer up family," Raychel said.

"Tell him, Dad!" Cody pleaded.

"Tell me what?" Woodrow asked.

Chief turned to Optimus, who nodded to him.

"Woodrow, aliens are real," Chief said.

"You don't have to-OOO!" Woodrow's eyes almost popped out of their sockets when K-9 went bipedal and Lindsy 'dropped' her human skin. "What the fu-fudge?!"

"Uh, team, introduce yourselves."

"Heatwave. Pleased to meet you."

"My name is Chase, and I am proud to be your brother's policing partner."

"I'm Chroma. Ally's work partner and Chase's romantic partner."

Chase blushed a bit.

"First Aid. I work with the twins and I'm an experienced medic."

"Boulder."

"Emerald. Animal and transmutate control. Also, Boulder's femme friend."

"Lindsy. Animal control, including dragons."

"Brains. Tech support," Brains said on Emerald's left shoulder.

"Wheelie. Livestock watcher," Wheelie said on her other.

"I'm K-9. K-9 unit, obviously. I'm a Maximal. There's another one at Jackie's," K-9 went back to dog mode.

"Blades. Not an experienced medic."

"In surgeries," First Aid corrected.

"I am Optimus Prime. And Chief Burns is correct. To the people of earth, we are aliens. Our home planet of Cybertron is most likely unknown to you."

"We'd tell you what galaxy it's in, but you've probably never heard of it either," Boulder added.

"I was right. I was right!" Woodrow cheered. "My DES found them... But you hid them, Charlie. So... 'Cybernites'?"

"Cybertronians," Optimus corrected.

"You've been leaving artifacts on earth for, like, centuries!"

"A long story for another time."

"I knew it! Thanks for trusting me with your secret, Charlie."

"That's what family does. And this!" Chief gave Woodrow a noogie.

"We've got some energon to harvest," Heatwave said.

Then the cave collapsed, separating the team.

Jackie got knocked out and Miko fell through that part of the cave with her.

The police unit escaped in a tunnel before it collapsed.

Optimus and Heatwave also fell through another part of the cave floor.

The rest of the team went into another tunnel before it collapsed.


	23. What Rises Above

Chase, Chroma, Ally, Woodrow, and Chief Burns were trying to clear the collapsed tunnel exit to escape and find the others.

"Cody, your message isn't going to reach Doc Greene," K-9 said as he transformed and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"We're too far underground," Chief added as he walked to his son. "The comms don't even work."

"Well, we'll just find the rest of the family and team using our wits and courage," Woodrow said. "It'll be an adventure!"

The two brothers began to argue.

"I'll break them up," Ally said.

"Chase... if we don't get out of here... Primus, this is hard to say... what would be your biggest regret?" Chroma asked.

"That I-I was unable to ... save them," he glanced at the humans. "What would be yours?"

"Not having a family."

"But you do have a family."

"No. I want to start a family... with you."

"W-w-with me?!" Chase pulled out the wrong rock and lava glowed out of it. "Oh, dear!" he put the rock back, but the lave pushed it out.

"Uh-oh!" the lovers said in unison.

Chief! Woodrow! Stop arguing! We got lave!" Chroma yelled. "Everyone, in Chase!"

Chase transformed and let the humans and Maximal inside.

"Chroma, what about you?" Chase asked with worry.

"I'll bring up the rear," she transformed and they sped off.

Chroma lost control when they went up a wall, accidently transformed and got burned. The adrenaline didn't make her notice and she caught up to them.

They came to a gorge.

"Chase, can you jump it?" Chief asked.

"Negative, and I would like everyone to know that I have motion sickness bags in my center console," Chase said.

Chase and Chroma drove off the cliff, transformed, and use grappling hooks (Energizer or previously owned) to swing across the gorge to the other side.

Chase landed in vehicle mode and Chroma tumbled when she landed.

Chase let out his humans and ran to her side.

Woodrow almost threw up.

"Sorry, Uncle Woodrow. Riding in bots takes some getting used to," Cody said.

"Chroma, your foot!" Ally said.

Chroma's right ped was burned, had some hard lava on it, tendon cables were snapped from the heat and landing.

"I'll carry you," Chase helped her onto his back so he could give her a piggyback ride.

"I hope we haven't strayed too far from the team," Chief said.

xxx

Jackie and Miko screamed as they landed in a cavern with extinct plants.

"You okay?" Miko asked.

Jackie nodded with an 'okay' growl.

"Think you can fly us out?"

Jackie looked at their entry hole and shook her head.

"We better look for another way out, then."

The two girls searched the cavern and discovered... dinosaurs?

Jackie let out a curious growl.

"Yeah, if these guys have been here for 65 million years they should totally look different."

xxx

Optimus and Heatwave were climbing up a wall, trying to get out and find the others.

A few rocks fell down the cavern.

"How far down do you think that goes?" Heatwave asked.

"I have no desire to find out," Optimus said. "Heatwave? I have been impressed with your work in Griffin Rock."

"Thank you, sir. My team has learned a lot from our humans."

"Are you still interested in joining my ranks on the mainland?"

"We would be honored. I need to ask the other bots-"

"The position is only for you."

"Heh. With all due respect, sir, you asked me to lead my team. If I leave them behind, I'm not only failing them, but you as well."

"That is what I hoped you would say. Leadership is placing other's needs in front of your own ambitions. I am pleased you have learned that, Heatwave."

"Uh... thanks. I think. Can you tell Ratchet that First Aid and I split?"

"First Aid already informed him."

They reached a shelf and climbed onto it.

Heatwave accidentally pressed a button and gears started clanking.

"It appears you activated some form of machinery," Optimus said.

"A volcano? Ah, this shaft must be part of Mt. Magma. The humans made it. Don't ask me why," Heatwave said.

"Likely the same logic that went into the pogo stick."

The top of the mountain opened, bringing in sunlight.

"There's our escape! I'm glad it wasn't lava," Heatwave said.

"Now all that remains is finding our team, and returning them to this spot. Which passage should we take first?" Optimus gestured to the three tunnels.

"Cody taught me how humans decide. Eeny, meny miney..."

xxx

"... moe! Try over here, Boulder," Graham said.

Boulder used his sonar. "Nope. This wall's rock solid, too."

"I could've told you that by lookin' at it!" Kade said.

"This is the worst way of decision making and meanest to tigers," Emerald said.

First Aid was pacing around, looking at his forearm. "I hope everyone's okay."

"Face it, we're stuck here," Kade said.

"Well, if we're stuck here, at least it's a place with magic glowing walls!" Blades rubbed a wall and looked at his now purple palm.

"Is he really this stupid?" Raychel asked Dani.

"Dude, that's moss," T.J. said.

"Ew!" Blades tried to shake off the moss. "First Aid, hel- ACK!"

First Aid knocked him down and started punching him in the face. "Stop being an idiot! You're a grown aft mech! Stop acting like a youngling! I know who you really are!"

"First Aid! Clam down!" Boulder grabbed the mech and held him tightly as Emerald gave him a sedative.

"Why did you do that?!" Blades asked as he stood up.

"Y-you're... one of... them..." First Aid went into stasis.

"'One of them'? What does that mean?" Emerald asked.

The rest gave each other uneasy looks.

"A hover did... really bad things to him," Graham said.

"Hopefully, the others will find us and get us out," Blades said.

"How do we know they're not trapped?" Kade asked.

"Well, how in the pit should we-" Emerald's hot started to beep.

"Uh, is that normal?" T.J. asked.

Emerald gasped. "Jackie!" she opened her panel. "Her transmutation levels are through the roof!" she ran to a part of the cavern and used a cauterizer to make an 'X' in the wall. "Make a hole here!"

"How are we gonna get to the other side?" Kade asked.

"$20 says they brought TNT!" T.J. said.

"You're on!"

Guess who just lost $20?

xxx

Jackie had finished fighting off a Spinosaurus when she and Miko heard an explosion.

"Yay! Wreckers to the rescue!" Miko cheered.

Jackie gave her a funny look.

"Or, it could be Boulder."

Jackie let Miko onto her back and was about to take off when...

 _Snarl!_ "A damn Predicon!" a talking Velociraptor jumped on her head.

xxx

The team looked in awe at the ecosystem they had found... and then they heard shrieking and saw blue light and smoke at the other end of the chamber.

"Blades, hand me First Aid," Emerald held out her arms.

"Hey, this is sea water!" Boulder said.

"It must've been trapped here from an earthquake millions of years ago," T.J. said, then he saw the team looking at him. "What? I took earth science!"

"Is THAT a pterodactyl?!" Emerald pointed at the flying reptile.

"It should look different," the team looked at T.J. again. "Well, it's basic evolution!"

"So, Boulder's sonar and Emerald's tracker don't detect dinosaurs!" Kade exclaimed.

"Actually, it's a flying lizard, and my tracker tracks transmutates," Emerald said. "Blades, Dani, hop to it and get Jackie."

"We'll fly low," Dani told Blades.

xxx

"Okay, let me see if I got this straight: the Predaqueen is some sort of transmutate, about your size when human, fighting these 'Decepticons', and you are both working with these 'Autobots' who are good?" the Velociraptor asked.

"Yeah," Miko nodded her head really fast and tightened her grip on the ax she packed.

"Seems legit," the raptor transformed into his robot mode. "I am 'Slayer'. A Maximal."

Jackie started flying when she heard screams.

"What are you doing?!" Slayer almost fell off.

"One of my friends was just eaten by a big fish," Jackie said as they flew over the water.

Slayer sighed as he grabbed his sword and dove into the water. He swam to the fish and stabbed it in the back as his sword spun. He used his shield to propel himself out of the water and Jackie picked up him and her friend.

A human female exited the bot.

"Dani, are you okay?" a red head male asked.

"We thought..." the male with glasses trailed.

"Remind me to give this 'seaside vacation spot' a bad review," Dani said.

"Negative five stars," Blades said as he looked at his bent rotor.

"We need to get to a safer cavern," Graham said.

"Can we get my stuff first?" Slayer asked transforming back into his raptor mode.

"Well, you and Jackie- hey, who are you?" Emerald asked Slayer.

"Slayer. An Ally."

"Hey, he helped save me and Dani. He must be good," Blades said.

"Just be quick about it, okay?" Kade said.

Jackie, Lindsy, and Slayer flew off.

"Hey, Boulder, can you use your sonar like an ultrasound to find the others?" Miko asked. "Or get them to come to us?"

xxx

Woodrow was asking Chase, Chroma, and K-9 about Cybertronians.

"So, you guys don't need much sleep, do you eat?" He asked.

"We techno-organics' systems are very similar to organics'," K-9 said.

"Cybertronians' main food source is energon and we use all of it, so we don't have any waste," Chroma said.

"Well, that answers my next question. Can you guys procreate like humans, or do you build babies?" Woodrow asked.

"Not appropriate!" Chief scolded. "Hold on."

They came to a crossroad.

K-9's ears perked up. "Do you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Woodrow asked.

"Thumping."

"We should split up to find our way out."

"Yeah, horror movies make that sound smart," Chroma sarcastically said.

"Good point."

Then everyone else heard the thumping.

"Want me to lead the way?" K-9 asked.

xxx

Wheelie and Brains were playing tic tac toe on Prime's transport when Optimus and Heatwave showed up.

"Hi guys!" Wheelie said.

"You can pull it free. It's hardly damaged and still works," Brains said.

The two big bots pulled out the transport.

"Also, energon," Wheelie pointed at a hole in the ground.

All four went into the hole. There was a lot of energon.

"We gotta get Jackie to binge on this!" Wheelie said.

"Yeah, she has that weird second stomach in dragon mode," Brains added.

"Don't crocodiles have something like that?" Heatwave asked.

"That is up for debate. I wish we found this energon under better circumstances," Optimus said. "And didn't you two-"

"We're small!" The mini bots said in unison.

They all heard thumping.

"That sounds like Boulder!" Heatwave said.

xxx

The police unit ran into the cavern where most of the team was.

"Dad!" Dani called.

"We're coming down!" Woodrow called back.

"Woodrow! Be careful!" Chief warned. "That rock doesn't look too stable."

It's fine, Charlie, don't be such a worry wart."

"He's a dad, it's his job," K-9 said.

"Yeah, you know about the curiosity and the cat," Cody said.

"Do they really have nine lives?" Chase asked.

Chroma groaned as she rested her head in the crook of his neck.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Woodrow said.

"Terror-Doctor!" Blades pointed at a hungry pterodactyl.

"Okay, maybe that!"

It started to swoop at them.

They all heard a roar as Jackie let out a warning fire shot at the reptile.

It flew into open air to escape and Jackie grabbed it in her maw and shook her head, killing it.

"Don't eat it!" Lindsy yelled.

"Drop it!" Miko yelled.

Jackie tossed it in the water where a megalodon snatched it.

The two teams reunited.

"Can we go to Hawaii for our next family trip?" Dani asked.

"I bet Jackie learned that from Woodrow," Blades said. "He and Chief have been arguing so much, that they ignore everything else."

"True," Chroma said. "Hey, Blades, can you look at my foot?"

"Not exactly a compliment," Woodrow said.

"No. But a fair observation," Chief said.

A wall started to fall apart.

"Ugh. Now what? A triceratops?" Dani sarcastically asked.

Heatwave, Optimus, and the mini bots burst through the wall.

"Heatwave! You're okay! I mean, uh, hey," Kade offered his fist.

Heatwave returned the gesture.

"We received your signal. Is everyone safe?" Optimus asked.

"First Aid had a panic attack, so I had to sedate him," Emerald said. "But other than that, everyone else is fine."

"Well, except for that flying reptile," Slayer said.

"Who's that?" Chief asked.

"Jackie, you found him, you house him," K-9 said.

"The sooner we get out-" Chief was cut off by Jackie chewing on something.

"Spit! It! Out!" Blades forced open her mouth and Emerald tossed out the chewed-up pterodactyl head into the water, much to the team's disgust.

"We found the way out," Heatwave said. "And a lot more."

xxx

The team walked into the energon cavern and First Aid woke up.

"What happened? Where am I?" He asked.

"You freaked out and started beating up Blades," T.J. said.

"Kind of had to sedate you," Emerald said. "And we're still underground."

"We'll be out soon," Heatwave said.

"So, this is all pure generon?" Woodrow asked as he walked up to a blue crystal.

"Energon," Optimus corrected.

"It flows through the bots' veins," Miko said.

Woodrow tapped the crystal. "Isn't it a little solid for that?"

 _Snarl._ "Are you a moron? It isn't refined yet!" Slayer exclaimed.

"Rude!" Blades said.

Slayer snarled again.

"And energon is highly explodable in this form," Miko said as she pulled Woodrow away.

"Hope you like volcanoes, because that's the way out," Heatwave said as he led the others out.

Jackie stayed behind and started to use her body to knock down a large crystal.

xxx

The team was discussing how to get out of the volcano without the humans dying.

"We can have the Predaqueen hunt a decent sized lizard for them to eat," Slayer suggested.

"What about water?" K-9 asked.

"Heatwave and I have water!" Miko said.

"It's not safe to drink," Heatwave said.

"We could drink our urine," Woodrow suggested.

"Ew!" Blades said.

"That is so unhealthy," First Aid said.

Jackie dropped the large crystal beside them and flew to the center of the volcano shaft. She regurgitated a small crystal, dropped it down, shot fire at it to make it explode, and rode the blast up a few feet.

"Um, what?" Kade asked.

"She thinks we can use the energon to propel ourselves out of here if we blow it up," Miko said.

Chief turned to the Prime. "Optimus? I'd hate to have to ask you to waste so much energon-"

"Chief Burns, energon is replaceable. Human lives are not," Optimus said.

"Let's get to work," Lindsy said.

Jackie flew back into the cavern.

"Come on, all techno-organics, Wreckers, and transmutates get a couple more crystals out of here!" Miko said as she led her 'team' back to the energon.

"I'll make sure me have the minimum to get out of here," Boulder said.

xxx

Jackie was trying to fly the energon transport out, but was unable to.

"Chase, can I borrow your grappling hook?" Chroma asked.

"Oh, why doesn't everyone take some energon and put it in their cabins?!" Slayer shouted.

"What about us humans?" Ally asked.

"Jackie, put down the transport a we'll take a couple crystals!" Emerald called.

All the bots with enough cabin space and trunks loaded themselves with the energon and Jackie was able to fly out.

"On my signal," Chief said. "One..."

Woodrow got Cody's hoverboard with taped on explosives ready.

"Two..."

The bots got ready to release the freshly cut platform.

"Three!" Chief and Woodrow got inside Chase after Woodrow shot the hoverboard into the cavern.

xxx

Miko and Jackie waited for the bots to come out of the volcano.

Miko was recording. "This is kinda-"

The bot exploded out of the mountain with a big boom and slid to the bottom of the mountain.

"I hope someone got that on camera!" Blades said with a laugh.

"I did and it was epic!" Miko shouted.

xxx

Chase was sitting next to Chroma in Prime's medbay while she recovered from surgery. "Do you really desire offspring with me?"

"Eventually. We'll give it time to think about it. I know you can be shy."

xxx

"First Aid, do you know why I have to keep you here?" Razor asked.

"To make sure I'm mentally sound after I flipped out and punched Blades," the young medic said as he crossed his arms and sat in the recovery room bed.

"We will be monitoring you," Air Raid pointed at the ceiling camera.

xxx

Woodrow boarded the ferry to the mainland with Optimus and Miko.

As the ferry sailed into the ocean, an African-American man in a suit came up to him.

"Woodrow Burns?" he asked.

"Yes?" _Oh, crap, what did my DES destroy now?_

"Agent Fowler. My branch is interested in your Deep Earth Scanners for-"

"I take full responsibility if one destroyed something."

"Actually, we want to use them to find rare minerals used to keep the Rescue Bots working."


	24. Space Bots

Jackie was sitting down with Slayer at the Asgard's lot when some classmates showed up.

"Is that the dinosaur you found?" a girl asked.

"It looks fake," a boy poked Slayer's eye.

Slayer got up and growled.

"No," Jackie grabbed his lead rope and sprayed water in his face. "You can only eat serial killers, rapists, poachers, terrorists, and Brett."

"What did I ever do to you?" Brett called.

"You awoken the dragon!"

Slayer sat down, He did _not_ want to awaken the dragon.

"Ooh! Here comes Prescott! Let's see how he screws up this time!" Jackie handed Slayer a slab of ribs and she ate a hot dog.

One teen got out his camera.

 _"Excuse me, has anyone seen our crew?"_ Professor Anna Baranova asked over the intercom.

The high schoolers laughed.

"Tell me you got that!"

"We're doomed!"

"I gotta text Brains so he can get here!" Jackie got out her phone.

xxx

"My legs don't want to move," Graham said as Cody and Boulder helped him into the suit.

"But aren't you excited?" Cody asked.

"Sure. In a terrified sort of way."

"Hey, I'm scared, too," K-9 said. "This is my first time into space."

"Come on, it's not that big a deal," Heatwave said.

"We've spent tons of time in space," Boulder said.

"Of course, we were in stasis, unaware of the many dangers outside the hull," Chase said.

"Good news is, once you're at zero gravity, you can't plummet back to earth," Blades said.

Graham groaned in fear.

"The Asgard is just an elevator. You go up, then down," Cody said.

"I get sick on see-saws," Graham said.

"Okay, son, it's time to go," Chief said as he held K-9's suit.

Graham tried to walk, but couldn't. "Can someone please give me a push?"

Chroma picked him up.

"Careful, Chroma!" Chase said. "Your ankle!"

"It's fine now."

xxx

The three males and Jackie (with her guardian's and school's permission) buckled in and got ready for launch.

"This is gonna be sweet!" Miko said to Raf and Jack as they watched Slayer.

Slayer started to growl at Huxley's hover camera.

"It's okay, it's just a camera," Jack said as he nervously patted the raptor's head.

"Jack, be careful!" Nurse June Darby shouted from where she stood with the Burnses.

Slayer's growling intensified as the camera moved to the Asgard.

"Oh, no you don't!" Jack tried to pin Slayer down, but the Dinobot took off with him still on!

Slayer accidentally threw off Jack when he attacked the camera, destroying it.

Jack hit his face on the pavement, broke his nose, and almost skidded under the Asgard.

Heatwave ran over and picked him up while Emerald handled Slayer.

The launch went off without a problem.

Huxley ran over to the team. "Is everyone okay? My camera was getting too close and I couldn't stop it!"

"The only injury is a busted nose," T.J. said.

"I'm never doing that again," Jack said.

xxx

Two astronauts on the International Space Station were playing chess and saw the Asgard's laser cable.

"Um, what's that?" The British asked the American.

"Probably some experiment from Griffin Rock," the American said.

xxx

"I can see the ISS from here!" Jackie said.

"I can't shake the feeling that I forgot something," Doc said. "I hope it isn't important."

"You hope?" Graham asked.

"Don't worry. I got two big ol' suitcases packed with food, water, medical supplies, gardening supplies, soda for your tummy, Graham, barf bags, smart phones and tablets with their chargers, fresh clothes, and I snuck a dairy goat into the agricultural pod," Jackie said.

"How and why?"

"One: I can be a ninja, and two: goat milk is easier on the human gut than cow milk."

"Graham, how are you feeling?" Doc asked.

"What's the technical term for air sickness in space?" Graham asked.

"'Space sickness'?" Jackie suggested as she gave him a barf bag from her suit.

"Don't worry," Doc said. "I suspect, the higher we go the better you'll-"

The Asgard jerked and alarms started going off.

"Hull breach warning!" Graham yelled.

"Dude, calm your mammieries," Jackie said.

"It's only the artificial gravity kicking in," Doc said.

"That felt like we're losing traction with the laser!" Graham said after another jerking.

"It's only turbulence, I think. It's turbulence, right?" Jackie asked.

"Yes, it's turbulence. Soon, the fun begins! A whole week of tests and research!" Doc said.

The Asgard stopped after five more minutes with a thud.

"What was that?" Graham asked.

"Cable termination lock," Doc said. "We're here. Jackie, you can start your video project."

Jackie got out an iPhone and turned on the selfie camera. "Hello, internet! I'm in space, courtesy of Griffin Rock's scientists and engineers. Doc, can you tell us how high up we are?" She handed the phone to Doc.

"We are connected by a laser cable to Griffin Rock, which is 140 miles below us, or 739,000 sandwiches stacked end to end," Doc said.

"That's pretty- merff! - uh, oh!" Graham got away from the window and threw up into the bag Jackie gave him.

"Good call on the air sick bags, Jackie," Doc said. "That's what I forgot."

"I'm going to give a tour in a little bit after I check on the agricultural pod," Jackie said to the camera before turning it off.

xxx

"Hey, guys, check this out! You can see the Asgard's laser cable with a telescope from here!" Miko said into her cell phone on top of Team Prime's base.

xxx

Frankie was at Cody's place, looking through the telescope.

The bots were talking about the humans and Maximal in space when...

"You never did a space rescue?!" First Aid exclaimed, earning shushes from the team.

"You are going to wake up the neighborhood!" Chase whispered.

"You'll make Frankie more worried!" Chroma whispered.

"We trained for ship-board rescues, but never got the chance to do one," Heatwave said.

"Which is good, I kinda, sorta flunked that part of the training," Blades said. "But I aced medicine."

Frankie gasped. "I see it! The Asgard!" She pulled up a holo-screen of the live feed from the telescope.

"Okay, does that laser go on forever?" Chroma asked sarcastically.

"Man, I wish I was up there!" Cody said.

"If you're not too tall to be an astronaut," First Aid said.

The antenna of Chroma's comm beeped and she activated her visor to read the message and her optics widened. "Tell Professor Baranova to get the Asgard down, ASAP! There's comet get close to it!"

"It isn't going to-"

Chroma cut Frankie off. "It's on course for asteroids!"

"Call Baranova! Call her now!" First Aid said before comming the whole team.

xxx

"These are Graham's pajammies," Jackie said to the camera as she put Graham's bone pajamas on his bed. "And they..." She turned off the lights. "GLOW IN THE DARK! Yes, ladies, he is single."

The immediate impact alarm went off.

"Oh, fuck! Gotta go!" Jackie ran to the main compartment after turning off the phone.

xxx

The team on the ground were in the bunker on conference call with Professor Baranova.

 _"They've lost the starboard pod, but the Asgard's interior pressure remains stable,"_ Baranova said. _"We're retracting the laser cable now."  
_  
"Have you reached them?" Chief asked.

 _"No. Their comm signals are down."  
_  
"Professor, how long will it take to get them?" Frankie asked.

 _"At least 30 days."_

An alarm started blaring.

"Now what?" Kade asked.

Chroma and First Aid exchanged slight glances and Baranova confirmed their worries.

 _"Debris from the pod is coming for the island."_

Chief turned to the team. "Cody, Frankie, go to the station and direct where that debris is falling."

xxx

"It looks like five pieces are going to hit the island," Frankie said.

"And we have seven Rescue Bots," Cody said in relief.

xxx

Chase, Chroma, Chief burns, and Ally arrived at the intersection.

Chase transformed and got out his Energizer.

"No, let me!" Chroma transformed and shot the debris... which blew up and little golf ball sized chunks went everywhere.

"Chroma! What the hell?!" Ally said as she ducked behind Chase's leg.

"That never happened before!"

xxx

Emerald hurried the hippos into the behind the scenes part of the enclosure while Boulder foamed the incoming debris with his Energizer.

Emerald then caught the foam ball and placed it out of the enclosure.

"I bet they'd thank us if they could," Boulder said as he looked at the hippos.

One wiggled it's ears and blinked.

"I bet that guy or girl just did," Emerald said.

xxx

Heatwave had slammed the debris into the water and was leaving the marina when he saw Chroma's attempt at halting the debris.

"Well, there's our next stop," Kade said.

xxx

First Aid transformed and used his electro-magnets to make a safety bubble above the drive-in.

 _"Are you sure this is going to work?"_ Blades asked.

"My gut says 50/50," First Aid said.

 _"Three, two, one... go!"_ Dani said.

Blades caught some debris in his claw.

 _"Spin hard!"_

CLANG! BANG!

"Oh! Ugh!" First Aid fell as the other debris hit him in the face.

"Dude!" T.J. ran to him.

"You okay?" Raychel asked.

"Just my mask and visor. I'll live," First Aid said.

xxx

Cody answered a 911 call. "Griffin Rock emergency."

 _"Was the laser cable on the space station you blokes have important?"_ A British astronaut asked.

"Yes, it's the only way to move the space elevator up and down," Frankie said.

 _"Oh, well, THE BLOODY LASER LEFT WITHOUT IT!"_

 _"It was knocked off when the asteroids hit it!"_ A cosmonaut said.

xxx

Brains was looking at the Twitter posts from the ISS about the Asgard. "So far, no one's dead.

Chief walked out of the space control center. "Looks like we're on our own."

"What do we do now?" Frankie asked.

"If we can't get a space ship, why don't we use our own?" Wheelie asked.

xxx

Jackie had gone dragon and carried the two scientists to the ag pod.

"Jackie, put us dow- AAH!" Graham said just as K-9 turned the artificial gravity back on.

Five minutes later, K-9 came in with all their stuff. "Guys, we're trending online!" He tossed Graham a smartphone.

"Sh-should we respond?" Graham asked.

xxx

Team Prime's humans and the two Maximals met the rescue team and Frankie in the Sigma's hanger, below the basketball court.

"Whoa! What's that?" Frankie asked.

"That's the Sigma, the ship the bots came to earth in," Cody said.

"And it can turn invisible!" Miko said.

"Heatwave, it is nonnegotiable that Mach and I assist with the transmutate," Slayer said.

"Understood," Heatwave nodded.

"Guys, look at who just posted with the '#SavetheAsgard'!" Raf turned his laptop to the team.

xxx

"Well, let's hope they know we're all right," Doc said. "Let's get some apples, I missed lunch _and_ dinner."

Jackie saw small cracks on a window and started to go more dragon.

xxx

"Rescue Bots, rocket to the rescue!" Heatwave said.

Miko, June, and Cody got 'oh, crap!' looks on their faces as the Sigma took off.

Two minutes later, First Aid walked into the storage where they were. He let out a sigh and picked them up and took them to the others, who were quite surprised.

"Eh, we were bringing supplies when... We took off," Miko said.

"Who's going onto the Asgard, because now _I'm_ going," June said.

"Guess I'm your space suit," Heatwave said.

xxx

"Oh, scrap!" K-9 noticed the cracks spreading. "There isn't any oxygen in the other pods and we'll all probably die!"

The Sigma came into view.

xxx

"The dome's cracking!" Blades said.

"K-9 may live with low oxygen, but not the others," Boulder said.

"Get us close, First Aid and I are getting on that thing," Heatwave said.

The two bots walked to the tether line.

"Ack! It's jammed!" Heatwave said.

"I can use my EMPs to get us inside and back! Let's go!" First Aid said.

The two bots jumped out of the ship and drifted to the Asgard, entered, and the artificial gravity kicked in.

"June, you need to stay in Heatwave. No oxygen," First Aid said.

xxx

Jackie was full-on earth dragon when the bots and June got in the pod.

"I'll handle Jackie," First Aid walked over to the dragon and tried to calm her down while the scientists, Maximal, and goat went inside Heatwave.

"Who brought the goat?" Heatwave asked.

"Jackie did," K-9 said.

The glass then broke, sucking out everything and everyone.

xxx

"Now what?!" Blades screamed. "We did NOT train for this! at least I didn't! I may have missed that day."

 _"Blades, you are so incompetent!"_ First Aid said.

"Jackie! Is she- you know?!" Emerald asked.

"She's transmutating again!" Miko pointed.

"First Aid! Vitals scan!" Lindsy ordered.

 _"She's all right! Sh-she's- an almost full Predicon!"_

 _xxx_

"We're adrift. I don't have any propulsion," Heatwave said.

"Jackie must have hit me when we were sucked out! My EMPs don't work!" First Aid said.

An aircraft flew to them and transformed.

"Need any help?" Air Raid asked.

"Yes. How did you know we were here?" Heatwave asked.

"Either Agent Fowler or Razor sends me out whenever the ISS live feed quits."

xxx

Jackie somewhat landed with the Sigma and Asgard on one of Griffin Rock's beaches.

Everyone exited the Sigma as the others showed up.

"Mom!" Jack hugged June. "Never pull a Miko again! Please!"

"I won't," June said.

"Graham! We were so worried!" Dani said.

"Okay, how do we explain this?" Miko pointed at both spacecraft.

Jackie splashed in the water to get the sand off of herself.

"Splash down," Chief said.

"It was nice to fly the ship again," Boulder said.

"I actually kinda prefer Terra firma," Chroma said.

"Earth?" Blades asked.

"Home," Heatwave said as they looked to the stars.


	25. Isle of Misfit Tech

"Sorry you didn't make the soccer team, Cody," Jackie said as she and Abby gave him a ride back to the firehouse.

"It's okay," Cody said as he looked down.

"Wanna drive Abby?" Jackie pulled back on her horse's reins.

"Sure."

Jackie helped him dismount. She put her helmet on his head. "Safety first. Okay, put your left foot in the left stirrup and swing yourself into the saddle—oh! —hold the reins first! I almost forgot!"

Cody was now in the saddle. "So, how do I make her go?"

"The reins are your steering wheel and breaks. Pull left to go left, right to go right, back to stop, and more back to go back. Your posture is key to speed. Now give her a little kick with your heels and you're off."

Cody gave Abby a kick and she shot off. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Heels down! Pull the reins!"

Xxx

"And that's the last air filter," Graham said. "Thanks for the help, guys."

"Happier to be done," Heatwave said.

K-9 ran into the garage and opened one of the doors.

"What are you—what the?!"

Cody screamed when Abby threw him. Luckily, Kade caught him.

"You okay?" Kade asked.

"Yep."

"How did tryouts go?" Graham asked.

Cody looked down. "I didn't make the team."

"I'm sorry, what?" Kade asked.

"I-I didn't make the team."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Bud. Th-that's too bad," Graham said.

"No, no, no, no, no 'too bad'. He just ruined our family legacy," Kade said before pointed at some trophies. "Look at these trophies—Dad, me, even Graham. We had to build a whole shelf for Dani. Every Burns is a soccer star."

"Wait, is soccer the one where they run back and forth across the same patch of grass?" Heatwave asked.

"I think it's called 'football', Boulder said.

"Both are correct," Jackie said as she tossed Kade the ball and grabbed her horse's lead.

"Cody, don't worry. You're good at lots of other things," Graham said.

"But nothing that counts," Cody said.

"When he's right, he's right," Kade said.

Graham elbowed him and Jackie threw her extra socks at him.

"There's always next year. You got tons of time to practice," K-9 said.

Chief Burns came on the communication vid-screen. _"I want the whole team at the Griffin Rock Fun Zone, now!"_

"Why, Dad? Need more tokens?" Kade asked.

" _Nope, but I could use a mechanical-bull spotter!"_

They heard a bull growling.

"Cody, take note," Jackie mounted Abby. "And give me my helmet."

Xxx

"I believe it has spotted us, sir," Chase said.

The bull charged and Chase grabbed it by the horns. The bull was not backing down and threw Chase.

"Holy— "

Chroma and Ally came just in time and got Chief into the side car.

The bull totaled a red car before running off.

Xxx

The twins were on their way with First Aid when the bull ran by them.

"Follow that steer!" T.J. said.

"It's supposed to be a bull," Raychel said.

"But, it doesn't have—oh!"

The bull hit Heatwave, knocking him into a fire hydrant, breaking it.

The twins helped Kade out and First Aid checked Heatwave for side-lining injuries.

Xxx

Jackie was getting her lasso ready as she, Abby and K-9 followed the sound of the song the bull was playing.

"Whoa!" Jackie pulled on the reins when the bull came dragging Blades.

Dani and Blades released the bull before it crashed through a red building.

"I hope the owners are insured," K-9 said.

"Hm. Red," Jackie looked at her red jacket and at K-9. "Have you been practicing your transmetal mode?"

"Yes. Why?"

Jackie took off her jacket and put it on K-9.

"Make it count."

Xxx

Chief and Chase saw the bull enter an ally, followed by Jackie and Abby. When they got in, Jackie was trying to calm it with her agsaber.

"The bull has artificial intelligence. Maybe we can talk it down," Chief said.

"I will attempt to reason with it," Chase walked to the bull. "Halt." Chase got the bull's attention. "This area is not zoned for livestock… or mechanical-stock."

Jackie walked to the bull's side and patted its neck. "Blue." She put a halter on it.

The bull lied down.

"Ah. I see we share a respect for civil coding," Chase said.

Ally and Chroma showed up.

"Ally, can you please get my jacket off K-9 and put it in my saddle bag?" Jackie asked.

"Sure."

The others showed up.

"Don't worry. The muscle's here," Heatwave said.

"Huh, boy!" Jackie said as the bull stood up. "Heatwave, get outta the bull's sight!"

The bull got up and snorted fire and charged Heatwave.

"Heatwave, hold on!" Boulder shouted.

"Do I have a choice?!" Heatwave held the bull's horns. "I never liked bullies!"

"This will either tickle you or kill you!" Jackie said as she moved to press a button on her agsaber.

"Wait, wha— **GYAH-HA-HA-HA!"** Heatwave and the bull fell and twitched.

Boulder pulled out some wires from the bull.

"Looks like the tech's in sleep mode," Graham said.

"Is Heatwave dead?" Kade asked.

"What was in that agsaber?!" Chief asked.

"I didn't know what to set for a rouge robots bull stun, so I chose 'bull elephant in rut'," Jackie said. "Lindsy and Emerald are en route with a livestock trailer. We're gonna need a flatbed for Heatwave."

Xxx

Cody and Jackie were the first two to arrive at Doc Greene's lab.

"We're gonna need room in B.L.F.," Jackie said.

"Doc, the bots are bringing you— "

"Don't tell me! I-is it a space-time continuum rupturing toaster?" Doc asked.

"Why would you guess that?" Jackie asked.

Emerald unhitched her trailer and helped Boulder get the mechanical bull out.

"That was my next guess," Doc said.

"Again, why?" Jackie asked.

"I'm afraid this is too big and dangerous for B.L.F. It belongs on the Island of Misfit Tech," Doc said.

The three eldest Burns kids were surprised the legend existed.

"Oh, dear. I seem to have spilled a top secret. Hold on while I get my memory-erasing earmuffs."

"It's okay, Doc," Heatwave said, "the team will keep the secret."

"What's the big deal about another island anyway?" Chroma asked.

"It's where Griffin Rock puts its most hazardous experiments. It's located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, completely impossible to find," Doc said.

"How can we send tech there?" Cody asked.

"I think there's a groundbridge behind the false wall," Jackie pointed at the 'rock face'.

"There's nothing there," Kade said.

"You can't see the lines?"

"Jackie's correct, it is a false wall, but there is no groundbridge. Follow me," Doc said.

The team walked through the hologram and entered another building.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the Beam Box," Doc gestured to a large bottle like object, blue with and orange door. "It has a scientific name, but mine's quite catchy, don't you think?" he pressed a button on the control panel and opened the doors. "Teleportation through this is the only way to the island."

"Since you can barely control teleportation in your own devices, I'm guessing this was made a few decades ago," First Aid said.

"Hey, that's kind of rude," Heatwave said. ("But also, true.")

"It's true. In fact, I have no idea who made it or how it works. Luckily, my predecessors left this instruction manual!" Doc held up a large old, red, dusty book.

"Oh, yeah. Sounds totally safe," Kade sarcastically said.

"Please don't jack this up," Jackie said.

"That's it!" Heatwave said as the bots dropped the bull. "This thing's failed technology! Just destroy it!"

"Maybe they might need to salvage parts from the devices for later use," First Aid put a hand on Heatwave's shoulder.

"A failure in one category may be a success in another," Doc said. "For example, nobody thought mold on an orange was useful until one scientist discovered it was medicine."

"Speaking of which, you might have to put that orange in the compost," K-9 covered his nose.

"This device"—Doc pulled out some kind of mini-lightsaber-scythe— "is horrible for trimming nose hair, but is excellent on plants. That's why we put a recall tag on everything we send there."

"Like an attic or a basement?" Jackie asked.

"That's one way to look at it."

"Bringing back that bull is about as unlikely as the soccer team changing its mind about Cody," Kade said.

"Oh, you—you didn't make the team?" Dani put a hand on Cody's shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me, son?" Chief asked.

"Because he's humiliated! Come on, guys, show a little sensitivity," Kade crossed his armed before getting another jab in the ribs by Graham.

"Cody, it's all right, soccer's not the only sport out there," Chief said.

"It's the only one that matters," Cody said.

Doc put the recall tag on the bull's head and it started to power up.

"Should those optics be glowing?" Chase asked as Chroma grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Hmm. It appears one of the bull's internal systems is activating," Doc said.

"I'm on it!" Heatwave went in front of the bull.

"A-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh!" Jackie waved her hands, but it was too late.

The bull saw Heatwave's red armor and went berserk. It charged him, but First Aid pushed him out of the way, getting a horn in the side.

First Aid screamed as the bull ripped its horn out, with a spray of energon.

The bots shielded the humans and Jackie activated her wings and covered Cody.

"First Aid!" Heatwave put his hands on the medic's injury.

First Aid was whimpering as he held onto Heatwave.

The energon in the bull's optics irritated it, but also calmed it down.

"What does that bull have against me?!" Heatwave exclaimed.

"It's your paint job," Jackie calmly said as she put a harness on the bull and began to clean the energon from its optics. "Someone didn't tell whoever programmed this guy that Mythbusters debunked the cape myth."

"H-Heatw-wave—I-I'm s-sorry!" First Aid said.

Heatwave picked First Aid up. "You need to save your strength. We're getting you into stasis. Blades, Chroma, you're with me! Chief, I'll be right back!"

"Take your time," Chief said.

The four bots ran out and headed to the tunnels.

"Cody, can you hold this?" Jackie handed him the lead rope once she was sure the bull was calm enough. "I'm going to get my jacket. It's a little cold in here."

"Uh, okay. He seems calmed down a bit," Cody took the rope and Jackie walked out.

The bull sniffed Cody and laid down.

"I'll get the Beam Box ready," Doc walked over to the panel.

Jackie walked back inside with her red jacket on. "Heatwave's pulled into the drive way. He looks pretty upset."

"That's understandable," Chief said. "Are you sure that you should be wearing your red jacket?"

"Relax, I think El Robo Toro is colorblind now," Jackie walked to the bull as Doc turned on the Beam Box.

The bull saw her red jacket and charged, taking Cody and Jackie into the Beam Box, teleporting them.

Xxx

Razor exited the ground bridge into the bunker.

"Thank goodness you're here!" Blades greeted. "First Aid is refusing to go into healing stasis and he's hurt pretty badly!"

"You said you could see his ribs?" Razor asked as they walked into the sick bay.

"Yeah, it's really gross."

"NO! LET ME DIE!" First Aid yelled.

"Calm down!" Chroma said as she tried to restrain him. "We're trying to help you!"

"I don't need it!"

"Hello, First Aid," Razor said. "Why are you refusing medical treatment?"

"I want to DIE!" First Aid started to sob. "I need to die. I have to die…"

"First Aid, why do you have to die?" Razor asked as she sat down next to him on the berth.

"I did something I regret as a medic, but not personally."

"Can you tell us?"

"No!"

Razor opened her medical case and pulled out a syringe filled with a light pink liquid. "I have a euthanasia syringe. If you tell us, I'll give this to you."

"What?!" Blades exclaimed.

"Razor, what are you doing?" Chroma asked.

First Aid thought for a minute before nodding 'yes'. "C-can you two tell Heatwave that I'll… you know?"

Blades nodded as he and Chroma went to the command center.

"What did you do?" Razor asked.

"I slipped a plant that causes miscarriages in livestock in Heatwave's energon when I found out he was carrying. I crushed it up so it would be so tiny he wouldn't see it. I did it for five days. I don't regret it at all," First Aid said.

"Okay, give me your arm," Razor said.

Blade and Chroma walked back in, looking as if they were about to cry, as Razor injected First Aid.

"What did you tell him?" First Aid asked.

"Th-that your injuries were—were—" Blades began sobbing hysterically.

"Heatwave turned off his commlink," Chroma said as she started to cry.

Razor laid First Aid down on the berth. "Do you need any comfort?"

"Yes!" Blades sobbed.

"I was talking to First Aid."

"If it will make the others okay," First Aid said.

Blades and Chroma were holding First Aid's hands while Razor kept track of his pulse.

First Aid lost consciousness.

"Okay, let's get him into a stasis pod," Razor said as she patched First Aid up.

"B-but he died!" Blades exclaimed.

Razor pointed at a sticker on the now empty syringe. "First Aid can't tell the difference between dark blues and greens. The fluid I gave him was a sedative and looks like euthanasia. I put blue stickers on euthanasia, First Aid's was green."

"He's just asleep?!" Chroma exclaimed as Blades fainted.

Xxx

Cody and Jackie freed themselves from the bull and it ran off with Cody's jacket.

"There goes our communication," Jackie said.

"Come back!" Cody shouted.

Jackie put a hand his shoulder. "He's a free cow now. Whoa, mama! What's that?!" Jackie pointed at a large yellow robot crab?

" _Scrapmaster data online,"_ the machine said.

"Chance this thing will eat us?" Jackie asked.

" _Refuse marked for destruction,"_ the scrapmaster scanned them.

Jackie went T1, grabbed Cody, and flew to the different part of the island.

Xxx

Heatwave wiped the tears from his optics and walked into the building to see Doc explaining that he couldn't bring back Cody and Jackie because they didn't have recall tags.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Jackie messed up by putting on her red jacket," Lindsy said.

"The bull charged and took Cody and Jackie into the Beam Box," Ally said.

"The only way to get them back is to send someone else with a recall tag," Doc said.

"Then _I'm_ going. I got a score to settle with that bully!" Heatwave pounded his fists.

"Are you certain, Heatwave? The bull may hurt you," Chase said.

"Did you not see what happened to First Aid?" K-9 asked.

"I know… h-he died," Heatwave said.

Everyone was shocked.

"B-but he didn't have his guts gored!" Kade said.

"He could've gone into shock," T.J. said.

"And _that_ can be lethal," Raychel said.

"L-look, Heatwave, I'm going with you to keep you from making any mistakes," Kade said.

"No, just me," Heatwave said.

"Heatwave, transform so I can install a transmutate tracker so you can find Jackie and maybe Cody faster," Lindsy said.

Heatwave went into his alt mode and Lindsy uploaded the program.

"Remember, kids first, bullfight later," Emerald said as Heatwave went back into robot mode.

Doc put the recall tag on Heatwave's arm. "I'll beam you and the kids in one minute from now," Doc said as Heatwave got into the Beam Box.

Xxx

"I'm going to inform Heatwave that—" Chroma gasped and backed up at the blaster pointed at her spark chamber.

"Well, well, well! Look who we have here!" Rotors said with his hands behind his back. "First Aid's bodyguard, the sister of a Decepticon, and a flier with a fear of flying."

Blades yelped and put up his hands.

Rotors walked over to the stasis pods and put a hand on First Aid's stasis pod. "Get him out."

Blades shook his head.

Rotors began to motion with his other hand, but Chroma tried to shoot him. One of Rotors' mechs grabbed her blaster arm and Razor was shot in the shoulder.

"One down," Rotors held up a digit on one hand, "Two to go. Give him to me!"

"Don—AAHH!" Chroma fell after being stabbed in the back with a katana like sword.

"Well?"

Blades shakily opened the stasis pod.

First Aid fell out and Rotors caught him and carried him out. "Take care of them," he said to a large hover.

The hover shot Blades and Razor before they all left.

"Blades, are you alive?" Razor asked.

"Y-yeah, my canopy's gone. Are you okay?"

"I can't move, can you?"

Blades grunted and dragged himself to her. "What do I do?"

"Contact Optimus Prime's team."

Xxx

Jackie and Cody landed.

"I think we're—whoa!" Jackie dodged a paint glob that hit Cody.

"Ew!" Cody said.

Jackie turned around. "Bad paint bot. Very, very bad!" she scolded the machine.

They then heard a buzzing and saw a hovering lumberjack bot.

"Why the fuck did they not turn off these motherfuckers?!" Jackie grabbed Cody's arm and ran.

Xxx

"Ratchet, do not worry, we will find First Aid," Optimus commed. "Focus on your patients."

"What are your orders?" Arcee asked.

"Bulkhead, go to Doctor Greene's lab to assist them. Arcee, you and I will search for signs of Rotors. Autobots, roll out!"

Xxx

Bulkhead pulled up to Doc's lab and saw the team getting a plan into action.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked.

"For the most part," Boulder said. "Why?"

"Rotors attacked Chroma, Blades, and Razor then botnapped First Aid! Optimus told me to help you guys."

"But, First Aid's—ugh! Don't tell me Rotor's a necro!" Kade exclaimed.

"No, he's sedated, making him vulnerable. Need me to do something?"

"Well, it'd help if you could scrap the scrapmaster," T.J. said.

"Preferably without destroying any of the other technology in there! It's highly sensitive!" Doc said.

"Got it!" Bulkhead activated his wrecking balls. "Wreck 'n' rule!" he yelled as he ran in and soon came the sound of Autobot vs. rogue machine.

The Wrecker walked out a few minutes later with the remains of the scrapmaster.

Xxx

"That worked out better than expected," Jackie said as she gave Cody back his jacket from the bull after she wiped off the paint from Cody with hers.

The bull approached them after trashing the lumberjack bot. The bull nuzzled them after seeing their blue paint.

"Good thing he likes blue," Jackie patted the bull's head. "Test your comm."

Cody got nothing but static. "I wonder what's going on."

Jackie noticed a dent in the bull's head.

"I'll be right back," she went to leave.

"I think it'd be better if we stay together," Cody said.

Xxx

The kids and the bull and paint machine walked through the forest, looking for what was jamming the comm.

Jackie stopped them. "You guys see the ship?"

"No," Cody said as the bull growled and stomped its hoof.

"Hide in the bushes," Jackie went dragon and broke into the ship. She walked through the ship until she heard talking.

"You are so sweet when you're asleep, First Aid," the voice said. "I'd bed you here and now, but I can't do that to you asleep."

A hover shoved a blaster in her face, but she bit his head off and scarfed him down. She found a control panel blocking transmission and broke it.

"Come on, First Aid, wakey, wakey," the voice said.

Jackie rammed the door down and saw Rotors petting First Aid's head.

"What the-?!" Rotors shot up and grabbed a knife but dropped it when he saw her breathe explosive gas into the room.

She backed him into a corner and slashed his T-cog, picked up First Aid with her mouth, got him out of the ship, and went back and ignited the room.

Xxx

"Looks like these security droids have been shot," Bulkhead said as he showed blaster marks to Kade.

"Yikes," Kade said.

" _Hello, can anyone hear me?"_ Cody asked.

" _Loud and clear,"_ Heatwave said.

"Where are you?" Kade asked.

" _Just out of some trees by a canyon,"_ Cody said.

" _I'm in some kind of dry gulch, but Jackie's nearby,"_ Heatwave said.

"Jackie, shoot up some fire at 15 second intervals," Bulkhead said. "We'll meet there."

They saw a bright blue flame in the sky.

Xxx

"What in the AllSpark?!" Heatwave exclaimed as he was covered in blue paint.

"You'll thank us later," Cody said.

The bull saw the red beetle things that were attacking Heatwave and destroyed them. Heatwave crushed the last one.

Jackie helped them all to the other side of the gulch.

"This stuff washes—First Aid!" Heatwave grabbed the medic off Jackie's back and checked his pulse. He gave a sigh of relief. "Wh-what was he doing here?!"

Bulkhead showed up with Kade.

"Cody!" Kade hugged his brother. "You okay?"

"I am," Cody said.

Jackie growled as three hovers came from the other side with blasters cocked.

"Hand us the medic and no one gets hurt," the leader said.

Cody used the paint machine to shoot one of the hovers. Too bad the paint was yellow.

"No wonder you're here," Cody told the machine.

Bulkhead activated his blasters but the hovers aimed their blasters at First Aid's head. Bulkhead deactivated his blasters.

Heatwave held First Aid tightly.

The lead mech's blaster whined up, but something shot into the blaster a took out his arm.

They all looked at Cody, who had another baseball in his hand.

"Guys, run!" Bulkhead reactivated his weapons and charged.

They ran to where they arrived on the island.

"Jackie, keep lookout!" Heatwave ordered before focusing on First Aid. "Come on, come on!" he rubbed the medic's temple with his thumb. "Wake up!"

First Aid stirred and opened his optics. "I'm… alive? Either that, or we're all dead."

"No, but you had us worried."

"How the hell did you get here?" Kade asked.

"I-I—" First Aid gasped as he pushed Heatwave away and curled into a ball.

"Threat's neutralized," Bulkhead said as he walked back. "Okay, we all have to be in physical contact for all of us to be beamed back."

"N-no!" First Aid squeaked.

Jackie picked him up and tossed him onto her back, Bulkhead put the humans in his subspace, and Heatwave grabbed the bull and painter.

Xxx

Doc pressed the recall button on the control panel.

"Aw, man! We're stuck!" Heatwave said as the doors opened.

Chase took the bull and painter from him, and Boulder and Emerald tried pulling them out.

Optimus and Arcee walked into the building to assist and eventually Heatwave, Bulkhead, Jackie, and First Aid dog piled when they got out.

"Everyone okay?" Chief asked as Bulkhead got Kade and Cody out of his subspace.

"For the most part, but First Aid's scared out of his wits," Heatwave said.

"Let's get him back to the firehouse."

Jackie picked up the bull in her mouth and the painter in a claw.

"I think Jackie wants those two," Lindsy said.

"Dad, they helped save us and First Aid. If the bull never took me and Jackie, First Aid could've been really hurt," Cody said.

"Okay, but Jackie needs to keep an eye on them," Chief said.

Xxx

Blades and Chroma arrived back at the firehouse a few weeks after the incident.

"Chroma!" Chase picked her up as he hugged her. "I was so worried."

"Hmph! That's why you failed at protecting my son!" Ratchet said as he put his bag down.

"Uh, yeah, Ratchet's going to be staying here for a while," Blades said.

"Optimus personally assigned me to protect First Aid until Rotors is terminated," Chroma said as she looked down. "I failed to keep him safe."

"But, didn't Optimus Prime's team catch him?" Chase asked.

"No. He left that island," Ratchet said.

"But, they did capture a few of his bots," Blades said.

"And Razor found his CNA on Jackie's claws. She got him good," Chroma said.

Ratchet grumbled. "Okay, which room am I going to stay in?"


	26. Vigilant Town

Ratchet was checking the garage's security systems with Chase when Chief Burns came down the pole.

"Hello, Chief Burns," Chase said while Ratchet just nodded. "Are we going on patrol?"

"No, we're late for Cody's scooter race!" Chief said, "I'm late!"

Chase transformed, let Chief in, and drove off.

Ratchet scoffed and went down to the bunker and into the command center to check on his own son. "Everything alright?"

"No! There's a loose garbage bot heading into the path of the scooter race!" First Aid exclaimed.

Ratchet pressed the team comm button. "Chief Burns, be aware of a rouge trash bot enroute with the race Cody is in."

" _Thanks for the heads up, Ratchet,"_ Chief said as Chase turned on his sirens.

"I was asking about you, First Aid," Ratchet said. "A-are you certain Rotors didn't do anything… inappropriate?"

"Razor checked me 50 times," First Aid said. "The worst he did was pet my head."

"You do know the reason we distrust her, correct?"

First Aid sighed. "She is not her sister. You all know that."

"Heatwave's seemed a bit more protective of you the usual."

"Nah, he's just scared. Razor says he's getting better, though," First Aid turned to the screens. "Care to help?"

Ratchet nodded his head.

Xxx

A week later, Ratchet, First Aid, and Chroma were watching the news about the new Vigilant Computer.

"I'm not sure about this _Vigil_ ," Chroma said.

"Oh, you're just jealous of the fact that this new computer will do your job of protecting my son than you," Ratchet said.

"Dad!" First Aid yelled.

"I am not! I'm just… wary," Chroma said.

"Which makes sense if you live here."

"I'm calling Chief Burns on his opinion," Ratchet walked off to call Chief.

Xxx

"100% accident free? Impossible!" Heatwave said.

"Especially in this town," Cody said.

"I've seen _2001: A Space Odyssey._ This won't end well," Blades said.

"But what if it can make Griffin Rock completely safe?" Boulder optimistically asked.

"Then my son would visit more often, perhaps even return home," Ratchet put his arm around First Aid's shoulder.

"I'm not sure about returning, but I'll visit more often," First Aid said.

"With the promised decrease in dangerous emergencies, we will have more free time," Chase said.

"And maybe in our free time we can work on what we've been talking about, Chase," Chroma said as she held his hand.

"Well, I guess we can give him a chance," Blades said.

"A computer's not a 'him'. It's an 'it'. And bad stuff's still gonna happen, whether or not it works," Heatwave said.

Cody answered a call on his phone. "I'll be right back, I'm going to Frankie's!" Cody ran to the elevator and left.

"Chase, what is your plan with Chroma?" Ratchet asked.

Chase tensed up. "I-I'd rather not— "

"It's an order!"

"Dad!" First Aid balled up his fists.

Chroma and I have been discussing having a family sometime in the future and if Vigil does in deed work we may be starting it sometime soon!" Chase blurted.

The team looked at them in shock.

"I'm sorry," Chase looked down.

"Don't be," Heatwave said.

"I'll go drive Cody to his friend's place," Ratchet took the lift out.

"I-is he mad? I think he's mad," Chase said.

"Chase, why don't we go talk?" Heatwave asked as he took Chase to the _Sigma_.

Xxx

Ratchet grumbled in his holoform as he drove Cody home. "Damn machine! I'm having second thoughts about Vigil!"

"Me, too," Cody said. "Does your hand hurt?"

Ratchet flexed his holoform's right fingers. "Ack! Yes. And it's your dumbaft mayor's fault!"

"How can you get hurt if you're just a holoform?"

"I can't get hurt, just feel pain. It's a blessing and a curse from this device Agent Fowler gave me."

Xxx

Chase and Heatwave sat down in the galley.

"I understand if you refuse Chroma and I procreating," Chase said. "It would be breaking the rules."

"Optimus said that in the case of offspring the choice is up to the bots," Heatwave said.

"I-is that what he said to you?"

"More or less. He said that given my situation that it was my choice, so I made it. If you and Chroma think you're both ready, go for it."

Xxx

Chroma was wearing the outfit she was going to wear on Valentine's Day two evenings later.

Chase entered their room and closed the door behind him. "Evening, Chrom—AH!" Chase saw his mate sitting with her legs slightly spread on their bed.

Chroma crossed her legs. "Guess you're not ready."

"F-for what?! Oh! Starting our family," Chase sat down next to her. "Where did you get this? Wow! This is so soft!" Chase ran his fingers on the fabric.

"It's a hand me down. Unused. I thought that I could put the mood on for… hmf! ... Well, you know!" she took off her mask and kissed him on the lips.

"A-are you certain it's the right time?"

Chroma nodded her head and straddled him. "Ready?"

"J-just give me a minute!" Chase pushed her off and ran to the washroom.

Xxx

The next day the team, minus Chroma, went to put out a tire fire and get Jerry out, only to have Vigil lock them out of the junkyard with two garbage bots.

"Hey! Outta the way!" Kade yelled.

" _For reasons, unknown, I am unable to take control of your machines. I am forced to keep you out by all means,"_ Vigil said.

"That's because they're hack-proof!" T.J. said.

"And you're getting in the way of our work!" Chief added.

" _The fire has spread to propane tanks and—"_

"First Aid! Do the thing!" Raychel commanded.

First Aid did a life scan, located Jerry, and got onto a garbage bot to get a good look and used his EMPs to pick up Jerry and got him to safety.

" _Odd. His cellphone says Jerry is at his home. What is the meaning of this?"_

"Sometimes when people are in a rush they forget stuff," Dani said.

"Permission for Rescue Bots to extinguish fire while humans get Jerry to the hospital?" robot Blades asked.

Vigil seemed to hesitate. _"Granted."_

He opened the junkyard and the bots handled the fire.

Xxx

Back at the firehouse, the team put the communication devices on a table before taking the lift to the bunker.

"Okay, Vigil can't hear us or track us now," Chief said.

Everyone began complaining about Vigil.

"How about I call in Bulkhead to destroy it?" Ratchet asked.

"Don't joke about him," First Aid said.

"Oh, I'm serious."

"I'll call Doc and tell him to turn Vigil off," Chief said.

("We'll call in Bulkhead as 'Plan C',") Heatwave told Ratchet.

Xxx

Cody slid down the fire pole. "Dad, Vigil just locked Doc and Frankie in their elevator shaft!"

"He obviously didn't want anyone messing with his programming," Chief said.

"That is unlawful imprisonment," Chase said.

"Let's— "Heatwave was cut off by Chroma and Ally drifting into the garage and quickly closing the door.

"Vigil's took over all the tech and is forcing everyone inside!" Ally said.

"He's even boarding up houses!" Chroma said. "And don't get me started on the lawn mowers!"

Chief signaled to put all communication and tracking devices on the table and they went back into the bunker.

The bots transformed and almost let their humans in.

"Ep, ep, ep! This is an Autobot only situation," Ratchet said.

"Let's roll to the rescue!" Heatwave said.

All the bots drove through the tunnel, but Blades had some trouble because if you've seen the first _Planes_ movie, you'd know flying and tunnels don't mix.

Xxx

They arrived under the lab.

"Boulder, do you have any maps?" Ratchet asked. "I know that there are sonic cannons and that Vigil is in a vault."

"Oh, I hate cannons," Blades groaned.

"We have to sneak in. I'll lead," Chroma said.

"Are you certain?" Chase asked.

"Chroma was one of our best spies. I believe that she is well experienced for this mission," Ratchet said.

"Some of us don't sneak well," Boulder said.

"If Bulkhead can sort of sneak, so can you."

Xxx

"Heatwave, hand me your fire extinguisher Energizer," Chroma said.

"Wh—oh! I get it! Lasers," Heatwave said as he gave her the Energizer.

"Power up and energize!"

Chroma stuck her head out into the third level and sprayed the floor. "Just as I suspected. We're gonna have to use the ceiling pipe to get past. Follow my lead."

They all climbed over the lasers safely to the other side.

They climbed up the elevator shaft up to the elevator.

Heatwave went to tap the elevator.

"No, Heatwave. Focus on the mission," Chroma whispered.

Heatwave ignored her. "Doc, Frankie, are you okay?"

"Don't worry about us, Heatwave, go deactivate Vigil," Doc said.

"But, be careful. There are two sonic cannons right outside the door," Frankie warned.

"Stealth time's over," First Aid said.

"Thank goodness," Boulder said.

"One question—how do we get to him with cannons shooting at us?!" Blades exclaimed.

"Knocking?' Chase suggested.

"My EMs," First Aid said.

Xxx

The bots opened the doors and First Aid Force-fielded the cannons until they blew.

"Phew! I need to sit down!" First aid sat on a crate.

"I'll stay with you, if you're okay with that," Blades said.

"Go ahead."

The rest entered the vault.

" _Stop right there, or I will destroy you,"_ Vigil threatened with an electric shock.

Chroma activated her blaster and Vigil shocked them all.

"AH!" Chroma got knocked into stasis from the charge when it interfered with her blaster and collapsed into Chase's arms.

" _That was a warning,"_ Vigil said. _"The next one will deactivate you."_

Chase raised his left arm in rage, the forearm feeling odd…

 _PEKEW-KEW-KEW!_

Vigil was destroyed with three energon blasts and the island was freed.

The team looked at Chase.

Chase looked at his left forearm. It was now a blaster. He screamed and accidentally started shooting again.

Heatwave grabbed Chroma and Ratchet used pressure points to deactivate the blaster.

"What?! J-just what?!" Chase was freaking out.

"Let's go back to the firehouse," Ratchet said to Chase as he walked him out.

Xxx

The humans were having a scooter race while the bots were in the firehouse bunker after they got rid of Vigil.

"Ratchet, why does Chase have blasters?" Boulder asked.

"Well, after the… _incident_ with Rotors, Razor, Air Raid, and I were discussing equipping at least one of you with blasters for your safety," Ratchet explained. "I guess you could say that Heatwave's sleep-fighting incident gave us the chance for that. We chose Chase because of his knowledge of protocols and figured he would use them wisely once he found out, but I guess we were misguided."

"You guess?" Heatwave sarcastically replied.

"Someone—other than Vigil—could have been hurt!" Blades said.

"Dad, I really think you should leave," First Aid said.

"I will once we know Chase is all right," Ratchet said.

Xxx

A few weeks had passed and Blades walked into the sick bay to find Chroma looking for something.

"Need help?" he asked.

"Oh, uh, you know how Chase and I are planning on starting a family? I'm looking for a gestation test," she said.

"Blades opened a drawer and handed her what looked like a blood sugar tester.

"Thank you," Chroma walked into her and Chase's shared room and woke him up. "Chase, it's been a few weeks since, well, you know. Are you ready to find out if you're going to be a daddy?"

"I believe so," Chase sat up and put his arm around her waist.

She pricked her finger and they waited for the results.

It was positive.

Their cheering woke up the other bots.


	27. The Buddy System

"I am a Lad Pioneer!" Blades cheered as he reached the top of the cliff.

"Technically, you are neither," Chase said.

"(And you look stupid,)" First Aid added.

"He is now," Cody said. "He's our new mascot."

"To be honest, I kinda liked Jackie's suggestion better," Boulder said. "She worked hard on it."

"Yeah, a griffin costume for a horse is better than just using a robot," Emerald said.

"Buzzkill," Blades said.

"Unfortunately, Dad's vote was the tie breaker," Cody said.

"But, why were _we_ dragged out here, too?" Heatwave asked.

"For the nature hike. Graham said everyone's invited," Boulder said.

"And for security," Jackie said as she led Abby and Rifle, a friend's horse, over to them.

"We'll get animal spotting patches, rock climbing patches, and singing patches," Blades sang a few notes.

"Primus, help us," First Aid said.

"Let's work on your silence patch," Heatwave said.

Chroma and Ally showed up. Chroma turned on her lights and sirens.

"Please step away from the cliff, Timmy. It's for your own safety," Ally said into the intercom.

"Alright, everyone, gather around. Today is the Lad Pioneer's annual Friends and Family Hike," Chief Burns said. "Thanks for-."

"Ow! Kade, watch it!" Dani said.

"Did someone have Grumpy-O's for breakfast?" Kade joked.

Chief continued. "For today's trek, we'll be using the buddy system. That way we can be sure no one gets lost or hurt." He opened a box and got out two bracelets. "Today we'll use these Buddy Bracelets to stay together. Can I get two volunteers?"

"How about me and Blades, Dad?" Cody asked.

"I wasn't planning on pairing up the bots, but I'll make an exception since he's our mascot." He put a bracelet on both of them. "Once they're on, they'll magnetically sync with each other. So if you get too far away from your partner you'll be pulled back together."

Blades and Cody demonstrated.

"I think I know who my partner's gonna be," Kade said to Hayley.

"In honor of the Lad Pioneer tradition of making new friends our buddies will be randomly picked," Chief said.

In the end, Kade was partnered with Dani, Frankie with Hayley, Graham with Mrs. Neederlander, Jackie with Ally, and Chief with Carin, a new resident.

Carin and Chief were talking and Chase was confused about Chief's body language.

"Hey, remember when you met me?" Chroma asked trying to help him out.

"Chief Burns, I don't have a partner," Mr. Apler said.

"Funny, I thought we had an even number of people," Chief said.

"My brother Jerry's on the way. He's usually late, but he has a great story why," Carin said.

Jackie got a pair of jeans and boots out of her saddle bag and gave then to Ally to put on.

"I'm riding that?!" Ally's eyes widened as she looked at Rifle.

"I'll teach you as we go; it's just a walk," Jackie said.

Chase and Chroma were a little bit away from the group, out of earshot.

"Shouldn't you be back at the firehouse?" Chase asked. "You are with our child."

"Razor said it's okay for the first couple of months to transform, and she took another energon test from me to make sure it wasn't a false positive," Chroma said.

"False positive? But we all saw it."

"She said that the test could have had a glitch on it. And even if it is false we can try again when the time's right."

"I suppose you are—."

"Gah! Fu—mrff!" Jackie's mouth was covered by Ally after Jerry ran over the keys for the bracelets.

"This is why we pay attention to the road, kids!" Ally said.

"Sorry, sis, looks like bonding time's over," Jerry said.

"Think we should go to the tech kill zone to get these off of everyone, Chief?" T.J. asked.

"I'll see if we have something to slip them off," Raychel said as First Aid transformed.

"Chief, can we go to the EMP zone? I know it's for emergencies, but we'll still do our Buddy Hike," Jackie said.

Kade and Dani started bickering and Jackie's skin went scaly.

"Uhm, is she okay?" Carin asked.

"She does that when she's stressed out," Chief said before telling the group about the route change.

Xxx

"Uh, what do I do now?" Ally asked Jackie five minutes into the hike.

"You're bringing up the rear and horses are herd animals, so you just let me lead and pull back on the reins when you get too close to us and stand in the stirrups when he goes number one," Jackie said.

"Nice…" Ally tried the stirrups thing.

"Frankie walked up to Cody. "Hayley and I have _nothing_ in common!" she complained again.

Graham yelped when his bracelet dragged him around a tree with Mrs. Neederlander, accidently spooking Rifle.

"AAAH!" Ally screamed as the pendex galloped ahead.

"Pull on the reins and keep your heels pointed down!" Jackie shouted after her.

Ally was thrown off, but First Aid used his EMP's to catch her.

"You okay?" Raychel asked.

"I wanna go home!" Ally groaned

"Okay," Jackie said as she slid her bracelet off.

"How?!" T.J. asked.

"I have stick figure wrists."

Chase noticed that Chief's face was red. "Are you developing a sunburn?"

"It's called blushing and it's none of your business," Chief said.

"I do not have a business or a permit to own one," Chase said.

"I can't believe this," Chroma said as she pinched the bridge of her nose and Chief slowly shook his head.

Chief then answered the emergency comm. He turned to Kade. "Kade, I need you to do a ladder rescue downtown. A window washer fell off his rig."

"Yes! On my way, Dad!" Kade said. Then he started arguing with Dani because they were still cuffed together.

"Remind me why your father thinks this is a good idea again?" Heatwave asked.

"It's not!" the bickering siblings said in unison.

"Oh. Well at least you agree on something."

Jackie ran up to them. "I'll help keep the peace."

All three went inside Heatwave.

"Oh! Heatwave, can you lower your window?" Jackie asked.

"Sure," Heatwave did so and Jackie stuck her head out the window.

"ABBY! RIFLE! DON'T EAT ANYTHING THAT CAN KILL YOU!"

"Loud!" Kade said.

"Oh, gee, something else we can agree on," Dani said.

Xxx

All the Lad Pioneers were looking at what caused Abby to rear and stomp.

"Whoa! It's head's totaled!"

"How is it still moving?"

The adults herded the kids away while Graham and T.J. got the horses.

Raychel turned on Skype to contact Lindsy. "Lindsy, we have a dead, uh, snake?" she pointed her phone at the corpse.

" _Can you open the mouth with a stick?"_

Chief carefully opened what was left of the mouth with two long sticks.

" _You're lucky Abby stomped on it. That's a Black Mamba, one of the deadliest snakes on earth! Where did it come from?"_

Jerry slowly backed away.

Xxx

"Why are snakes that big?!" Kade yelled as the large constrictor escaped after Jackie fought with it.

"Maybe Jackie can tell us once she's out of dragon mode," Heatwave said as he rubbed her on and between the wings to calm her down.

Kade and Dani started arguing again.

Heatwave and Jackie heard a rattling.

Jackie laid down. _Yeah, earn the Darwin Award._

"Kade, back away," Heatwave warned.

"Oh, now you bossing me around, too," Kade asked.

"Dani, stay still."

"Is Jackie getting—"

Then the siblings heard the rattling and saw a rattlesnake getting ready to strike.

Jackie hit her tail against the ground, distracting it. Heatwave quickly grabbed it.

"Thanks guys," Dani said.

"You can thank me after you tell me where to put this thing! It feels—ugh!" Heatwave said as the snake wriggled in his hand.

"Wait, wait, wait, are you telling me that giant alien robots are afraid of snakes?" Kade asked.

"I'm not afraid! I just don't like the way they grate on my metal—ugh!" Heatwave shuttered.

"There should be some heavy duty bags in the emergency kit," Dani said.

Mr. Sharma the passed on a hover scooter bike screaming about his snake hitch hiker.

Jackie let out a low frequency growl and the snake leapt out of the basket and coiled around her horn

Xxx

"A giant attack of snakes? It wasn't just the one?" Chief said into the comm.

" _Normally, I'd do an aerial recon or ask Jackie, but she's in dragon mode—"_

"And your robot is with us. Cody, your sister needs her bot, and since you two come as a set…"

"Got it, Dad," Cody turned to Blades. "Robot, transform."

Blades did so and let Cody in.

"Don't forget to use the auto-rescue setting!" Ally said before they took off.

"Great, not I really have no one to talk to," Frankie said.

Xxx

" _Cody, keep an eye out for anymore snakes. We'll pick them up,"_ Dani said.

" _We will?"_ Heatwave did not like that idea.

"Blades what's wrong?" Cody asked.

"I can't believe I'm missing my first Lad Pioneer hike," Blades said. "I was really—"

" _Gah! It's out!"_

" _Chill, Heatwave. I'm just giving him a nugget,"_ Jackie turned to Cody and Blades. _"The two we have so far said they were being transported, so check the zoo and maybe a few pet stores. Maybe after this you'll get some animal patches."_

" _Put the snake back in the fragging bag!"_

Xxx

"We need to pull over! It's in my engine!" Heatwave screamed.

"Whoa, dude, chill," Kade said.

"What's in your engine?" Dani asked.

"A snake! A snake! S-screw this mission!" Heatwave yelled. "It feels so wrong! So, so wrong! I think I'm gonna transform!"

"Pull over. I'll help," Jackie said.

"Please," Heatwave whimpered as he pulled over and the humans got out.

"Hang on," Jackie opened the other two snakes' bags and put in some warn nuggets for them to eat and retied them. "Where can you feel it?"

Kade removed Heatwave's grill.

"It's in deep!" Heatwave whimpered.

"That's what she said," Kade muttered, earning his sister elbowing him in the stomach. "Yeah, I deserved that."

"This might feel a bit weird," Jackie said as she used her powers to coax out the corn snake.

"Eyewwugh!" Heatwave shuttered as the snake slithered through his engine and around Jackie's right forearm. "Definitely in my top three worst experiences ever."

"This guy's just a constrictor, he won't need a bag. He most likely went inside you for warmth."

"Ack!"

Xxx

Hayley had taken over the hike after the team went to handle the serpent epidemic.

"Those flowers sure are pretty?" Frankie asked as Abby and Rifle ate some grass around said flowers.

"I've always loved _Lupinus Perennis—_ uh, wild lupus, and so do butterflies," Hayley said. "Some even eat this when they're caterpillars."

"Whoa, how do you know that?"

"I have a degree in botany. Oh! Watch out for the _Toxicodendron Pubescens!"_

"I thought only my dad spoke in random Latin."

"Sorry, poison oak. I learned plants by their scientific names. I hope I'm not a boring hiking partner."

"Are you kidding? You can be my private tour guide! Oh! What's this?"

Xxx

"BRB!" Jackie yelled as she went T1 and out of Heatwave's window.

Heatwave made an odd noise as the corn snake slithered under his seat.

Jackie went mild dragon when she saw the boa crushing Chase. She went full on dragon, grabbed the snake by the head with her mouth, and slurped it into her second stomach.

"Oh, my God!" Carin exclaimed.

"Jackie, spit that out!" Chief shouted.

Jackie just flew off.

Xxx

Everyone on the hike flinched when Jackie landed behind them with a thwmp!

"Hi, Jackie. How's the snake recall doing?" Frankie asked.

"Gud," Jackie said.

Xxx

Graham and Boulder were looking for the King Cobra when Jackie's uncle walked over.

"You guys looking for that snake?" he asked.

"Yes, did you see it?" Graham asked.

"I killed it because it was too close to my grandkids."

"How?"

"With a shovel. C'mon, I'll get it out of the trash for you."

Xxx

The Lad Pioneers dragged Jackie away from the boa she threw up and to some wild garlic.

"What was that thing doing in your stomach?!" Hayley exclaimed.

"I thought I could keep him safe in there until we got a big enough bag," Jackie said. "Ugh! Now I know how Heatwave felt when that corn snake got in his engine."

Then the rest of the team arrived.

"Yeah, a giant glass cage will help," Jackie muttered as the twins took her First Aid.

When Blades transformed his Buddy Bracelet fell off and the snake ate it, dragging Cody towards him.

"No!" Jackie said as her hair and eyes glowed in an Avatar State way.

The snake looked at her, his eyes glowing the same way. He slithered into the EMP zone and fainted while Jackie collapsed to her knees.

"What the heck was that?!" Kade exclaimed.

"I-I think I … took control of him," Jackie said was First Aid checked her vitals.

The bots put the snake in the cage as everyone else went in to deactivate their brace lets.

Xxx

Chroma entered her and Chase's shared room to find him hiding under the blankets.

"Honey, what's wrong?" she sat down next to him.

He showed her a message on a datapad.

She got under the blankets with him. "It's alright, we can try again when the time's ready."

Chase whimpered. "Why do I feel like I failed?"

Xxx

"Evening, Heatwave," First Aid said as he entered the mech's room.

"Hey, First Aid," Heatwave said. "Did you hate the snakes, too?"

"No. I had relative ease with them."

"Ugh! One got onto my engine! I can still feel it..."

"Maybe it's still in there. Or another one is," First Aid gently put his fingers under Heatwave's grill.

"H-hey! What are you-?!" Heatwave started to squirm. "Stop!"

"Can it and take it!"

"No!" Heatwave slapped him off. "Wh-what's wrong with you?"

"You know what I'm doing!"

Heatwave just stared at him. "Control? You want control in your life by... doing that?! You are sick!"

"No. That bastard Rotors is."

"Primus, help him," Heatwave said after First Aid left.


	28. Rotors 2

Ratchet walked out of the ground bridge onto Razor's ship, the _Broadside._

"Ratchet," Razor greeted.

"Is First Aid here?" Ratchet asked. "I heard something happened with him."

"Come with me."

The two medics walked into Razor's office where Heatwave was waiting.

"Ratchet, take a seat," Razor said as she sat behind her desk. "Heatwave, tell us what happened."

"Uh…" Heatwave glanced at Ratchet. "D-do I have to?"

"Yes, but it is understandable if it is a sensitive subject."

"Is something wrong with First Aid?" Ratchet's voice filled with worry. "I-is he hurt?"

"N-no," Heatwave took an uneasy breath. "I was resting after yesterday's emergency and how I got a snake in my engine—Jackie got it out—when First Aid shoved his fingers under my grill. I-I told him to stop but her told me to… to… ugh!" Heatwave buried his face in his hands. "To 'can it and take it'. I think Rotors really messed him up." He looked at Ratchet. "I had to hit him to make him stop. Sorry."

"Ratchet, we've known that First Aid has been having some… issues lately and seems to be targeting Blades, I think he has defiantly crossed the line this time," Razor said. "We need to pull him from the team."

"Where is he? I need to see him," Ratchet said.

Xxx

Chase was still in his room when Chroma had to leave due to an emergency.

"Chase, can you check on First Aid for me?" Chroma asked.

"Mmm…" Chase rolled out of bed. "Yes, dear, I will."

"Thanks!" Chroma kissed his cheek and ran to the lift.

Chase walked into his washroom and splashed water on his face before he left his room.

"Hi, Chase," Blades said. "Are you going to see First Aid, too?"

"Chroma asked me to check on him. He has shown some signs of aggression lately."

"Ugh! Remember when he freaked underground and attacked me? I'm hoping he likes the idea I have of throwing a Coming Out party for him and Heatwave."

"I do not believe either is fond of parties. We know for a fact Heatwave more often than not holed himself in his room rather than go to a party, unless a family member or his date was going to one."

"Yeah, the only reason you came with us was to be the designated driver."

"Someone had to."

They came to First Aid's room. Chase knocked on the door. "May we come in?"

First Aid opened the door. He had a bruise on his scar. "Come in."

"What happened? How did you get that bruise?" Blades asked as he and Chase walked in.

"I have a bruise? Ah. It must've happened when I fell after getting out of my shower last night."

Chase didn't buy the story, as the injury looked like the back of a certain mech's hand.

"Anyway, I'm planning a coming out party for you and Heatwave!" Blades sat him down and began explaining all the thing he planned. First Aid instinctively activated his mask.

"Uh…" First Aid squirmed as Blades scooted closer.

"Blades, I believe you are making First Aid uncomfortable," Chase warned. "Remember his outburst?"

"So, how do you like the idea for the party?" Blades smiled as he put his hand on First Aid's thigh.

First Aid yelped and elbowed Blades in the throat.

Blades shot up, clutching his throat, and fell to the ground. He started gasping with a whistle in each breath.

"First Aid, get help!" Chase said as he rolled Blades on his back and supported his head and neck for easier ventilation.

Xxx

First Aid sat silently in the _Broadside's_ brig when his sire and Heatwave entered.

"Wh-what happened?" Heatwave sat next to him and held his hand.

"Blades touched my thigh," the young medic said with barely a whisper.

"A moment, Heatwave," Ratchet walked him out and closed the door.

Heatwave walked to the sick bay to check on Blades. First Aid had elbowed him so badly that Razor had to remove his voice box and put it in a healing stasis serum.

He entered and saw Blades recharging after the surgery. He walked to another part of the bay and saw Blades' voice box in the serum. It was dented and had a crack.

 _Primus, I hope he doesn't end up like Bumblebee._ He knew most of the humans would have much difficulty understanding him.

Razor walked next to him. "Are you alright?"

"O-oh! I… I am. It's just… First Aid didn't mean to do this. I-I know he didn't… I just know! H-has he ever, EVER, attacked another hover before?"

Razor nodded. "Another mech named 'Blades'. He was a returning Protectobot, one who was being covered by Rotors. Always wanted to befriend new Autobots. He arrived shortly after First Aid had and began conversing with him. He didn't know what he went through and jokingly patted his backside. First Aid was cleaning some medical supplies and stabbed him in the neck with a needle. After that, Chroma was assigned his bodyguard."

"Wh-why weren't we informed of his outbursts before he arrived?"

"First Aid seemed to be getting better and was getting along with the humans… we knew it was time for him to join your team. This whole ordeal could have been avoided if…"

Blades started to stir.

"Heatwave, I have to check on my patient. Why don't you speak with the rest of your team?" Razor said as she walked to Blades' bedside.

Heatwave walked out to check on the rest of his team in the common room.

"How-how's Blades?!" Dani asked as she stood up.

"Is First Aid gonna move?" T.J. asked.

"O-or stay in the brig?" Raychel asked.

"Blades is… gonna be fine. We may have to let First Aid go for a while… u-until we know he's okay mentally," Heatwave said.

"So, he's basically fired?" Kade asked.

"No. Mental health leave."

"Which was a required thing on Cybertron for emergency response personal," Chase said.

"H-he's gonna come back to the team? Right?" Cody asked.

Heatwave sighed. "It's too early to tell right now."

Xxx

Miko and Jackie were holding down the fort for the rescue team while they were on the _Broadside._

"Ugh! I thought there'd be some crazy shit today!" Miko said.

"The bots usually like days like this," Jackie said as she opened a window and put some energon goodies on the sill.

"What are you doing?"

"I set my minicon out to track down Rotors," Jackie said as she sat down next to Miko at the command center.

"Ooh! Can I see him? Or her?" Miko scooted her chair closer to her friend.

"Sure, I'll call him, but he's a stubborn bird," Jackie walked to the open window and cupped her mouth. "BUZZSAW, GET YOUR TAIL FEATHERS BACK HERE OR NO GOODIES!"

"Dang, you loud!" Miko exclaimed.

A couple minutes passed and the Andes Condor sized minicon arrived and ate the goodies.

"On my arm," Jackie extended her arm and the mini hopped on.

The emergency line rang and Jackie answered it. "Don't worry, we're on our way." Jackie turned to Miko. "Let's go."

The two girls slid down the fire pole and out to the horses Jackie hitched up.

"So, where are we going?" Miko asked as she got into the saddle.

"To get puppies out of a car," Jackie gave their mounts the signal to gallop.

Xxx

Heatwave was walking to the groundbridge when he bumped into Air Raid.

"Where are you going?" Air Raid asked.

"I'm just going to one of the uninhabited islands for a break," Heatwave said.

"Comm us if you need a pick-up," the seeker-mix continued down the hall.

Heatwave punched in the coordinates, took a breath, and walked through the bridge.

The island didn't have any beaches, which was nice since Heatwave wasn't a big fan of sand, just gassy cliffs and a small forest around the center.

He walked into the forest and into a small clearing where he laid down and looked at the clouds. Cybertron didn't really have clouds like Earth, and if you saw one you'd best get inside, for they rained acid, not water. He had a bad experience with his home planet's rain…

 _KRISH-ISH!_

 _The top of the crate opened and someone picked him up._

 _He smiled until he saw the mech's blood orange optics and started to panic. Something, a hand, clamped over his mouth and he went…_

Heatwave shuddered. _Why can't I get over that?_

The acid rain on Cybertron left him out of work for three earth weeks.

 _Primus, I need to unwind,_ he emptied his mind and fell asleep.

Xxx

Airachnid kneeled before the Decepticon warlord. "How may I serve you, my lord?"

"You are an expert hunter and tracker, correct?" Megatron asked.

"Do you wish for me to hunt down the Autobots? One in particular?"

"No, not quite," Megatron gestured for Soundwave to bring up photos and videos of a hover with six rotors, dark grey and black armor, and green optics. "This is Rotors, one of the most despicable mechs I've had the misfortune of meeting. I want you to track him down and kill him. Soundwave will give you the last known coordinates of where he was most recently tracked."

"I understand, my lord," Airachnid stood up.

"One last thing: only focus on Rotors, do not hunt down the locals. They have a highly dangerous transmutate."

Xxx

"Thanks, Mr. Hootan, we'll be right there," Chief Burns said into the comm before turning to the team. "Jackie used Buzzsaw to rip off a car door to get some puppies out and the owner started shooting at them."

"If Miko was with her and was shot Bulkhead's gonna be pissed!" Emerald said.

"Well, Ally's grandmother hit the guy on the head with her cane and kicked the weapon into a storm drain, so the treat's neutralized."

"Do you require our assistance?" Chase asked.

"I-it's optional this time. You guys just keep an eye on Blades for us."

"I'll get you a groundbridge," Air Raid led the team to the bridge.

"Wait for us!" Wheelie said as he transformed and drove after them while Brains rode K-9.

Xxx

 _Primus, I feel like a science experiment,_ Blades thought as he looked at his voice box in the healing solution.

"How are you feeling, Blades?" Razor asked.

'Why did you remove my voice box? Is the solution it's in allowed?' Blades wrote down.

"Well, it's an untested method that I felt would work best for biomechs, as it had worked on non-Cybertronians. Bumblebee said he didn't want to try it, but you had an emergency, so I did what I thought was best. Is that okay?"

Blades nodded.

Xxx

"First Aid, I want to bring you home… but we want you to continue to help the humans," Ratchet said. "We… we just don't know what to do with your outbursts."

"Maybe they'd stop if we got rid of Blades," First Aid drew his knees to his chest.

"Why?"

"Hovers are creeps. Except for Razor. She's cool."

"Did you hear what you just say?! That was racist!" Ratchet stood up. "Not all hovers are creeps! That's just Rotors!"

Xxx

Heatwave shot up. He had heard something, perhaps a stick breaking.

He got up to look around for the source of the sound. He reentered the forest. He noticed odd footprints in the ground and followed them.

He followed them for five minutes and got knocked out and webbed.

Xxx

"Where are your robots?" the car owner asked as Chief Burns put him handcuffed in the back of the old police car.

"None of your business," Ally said as she tried to get the gun out of the storm drain.

Kade looked around. "Okay, where did those two go?"

"They took my bitches somewhere!" the car owner said. "You gonna arrest them or what?!"

Xxx

Jackie and Miko were walking their horses back to the firehouse with the puppies in their arms.

"Do you think that the town should learn more about the bots?" Jackie asked.

"Uh, what do you mean?" Miko held her puppy tighter.

"Their origins and stuff."

"I actually prefer the way people are meeting the bots, to be honest."

"Still, they should trust their everyday heroes. The bots risk their lives as much as the human half of the team."

Kade pulled up to them. "You guys okay?"

"Yep," both girls said.

"Why don't you let me drive the puppies to the firehouse?"

Xxx

Heatwave slowly woke up and discovered that he was webbed to a rock wall with webbing covering his mouth.

He started to panic when he heard helicopter blades chopping.

 _No! No, no, no, no, no! Not again! This can't be happening!_

He tried to get a hand free to activate his injured Autobot signal, but it was no use.

The bot transformed and landed about half a mile away in the clearing.

 _I-I can't—I can't go through that again! Waking up to it was bad enough! Why can't he just get out of our lives?!_

He closed his eyes and prepared for the worst.

The bot ripped off the webbing covering his mouth and slapped him. "Look at me!"

Heatwave sacredly opened his eyes and surprisingly met a familiar face.

The femme grabbed him by the chin. "I'll only ask this once: where is Rotors?"

"Airachnid?"

"Wrong—" she raised one of her spider legs to strike. "H-how did you know my name?"

"I-it's me! Heatwave! F-from University, granted, not the same one. B-but you went out with Blades!"

She took a step back and unwebbed him. "You've changed."

"And I bet you're still into interactive horror cinema," Heatwave crossed his arms. "You know that gave him nightmares."

"And you broke us up," Airachnid to a step closer to him. "I'm currently hunting down a mech my leader despises. What are you up to?"

"Working with my rescue team, which has sorta grew. A-are you going after Rotors? Is that the guy your boss hates?"

"Yes. I've searched this entire archipelago and still haven't found him. This was his last known coordinates. Do you have any information on him? It could prove useful to me."

"He has his own ship and crew, his second-in-command is named 'Darksyde' and very creepy, is probably hurt because our transmutate got him good, and… and… h-he r… raped me and… did things to one of my recruits… and he's tried to kill me and probably rape my teammate too! If you find him… make sure he suffers!"

"Don't worry. I will," Airachnid transformed and left.

Heatwave sighed and walked back into the forest.

"I can't believe she's a Deceptico—AAAAAHHH!"

The groundbridge that opened beneath him closed.

Xxx

Chase was on the _Broadside'_ s runway, waiting for Agent Fowler.

His helicopter came into view.

He waved until he saw the copter transform into a Cybertronian femme and land a few yards before him.

"Halt!" he attempted to block the femme, but she pushed him out of the way.

"I have no interest in _you_ , officer," she said as she continued to walk past.

Chase had seen her insignia. He looked at his left forearm. _What are those pressure points again?_ He pinched the points and his forearm transformed into a blaster.

Xxx

"Ratchet, perhaps it would be best if First Aid stays with you at your base for a week or two. Just to take a little vacation," Razor said as she walked the two mechs to the groundbridge.

"Dad, I could use a break. The main base is safer," First Aid said.

"Alright, but Optimus is giving you a lesson in tolerance and acceptance!" Ratchet said.

Razor punched in the coordinates and they heard Chase losing control of his blaster again.

"Don't worry, I'll handle this," she said as she pushed the two into the bridge and closed it.

"Razor! Razor!" one of the pretenders ran up to her with Air Raid walking with him.

"We have a surprise visitor," Air Raid showed her the security feed of Airachnid attempting to dodge Chase's random fire.

Razor pinched her nose and sighed. "Air Raid, take my little sister to my office. I'll help Chase."

Xxx

Heatwave was struggling against the restraints restraining him to the surgical berth.

 _Oh, Primus! What's going to happen to me now?! What's that sicko gonna do?!_

He felt his spark beat in an odd way. Almost as if…

 _NO! It can't! It can't!_

Rotors walked in with help from Darksyde. Well, Darksyde was basically carrying him.

"Take the gag off," Rotors ordered a servant.

"Looks like our transmutate got you good!" Heatwave shouted.

"That it did, that it did. Don't worry. I'm not capable of being intimate at the moment. You'll just be taken apart, piece-by-piece. But, you're gonna watch a movie first!"

xxx

"Was handcuffing me _really_ necessary?" Airachnid asked as Air Raid sat her down in the chair.

"Yeah, it makes _me_ feel more easy," Air Raid leaned against a bookshelf.

"Makes sense, since you're a _hybrid_!"

"Just because my carrier was a transport doesn't mean I'm any less capable of beating your aft than anyone else!"

"You are aware of my kill count, correct? You're just threatening me with a good time."

"What? You into that?" Air Raid rolled his optics. "I could totally dominate you!" his optics then widened.

"Not if I dominate you first~!" Airachnid smiled and winked.

Razor entered the room. "Air Raid, can you get Heatwave? I think—"

"Took the bridge! On it!" Air Raid quickly walked out, blue as a blueberry.

"He accidently flirted with me, so I had a little fun," Airachnid said as her sister took off the cuffs.

"Just tell me why you're here," Razor said as she looked down at her sister.

"Megatron sent me to find and destroy Rotors. I was searching the last island in this archipelago when I ran into Heatwave, an old acquaintance. He gave me some information on Rotors, so I searched for his ship when I found yours. Perhaps you can give me more information on Rotors?"

Razor stood her sister up and gave her five datapads from the book case. "Follow me."

Xxx

 _Who-who was that?!_ Heatwave thought after the 'movie' Rotors made him watch was over.

" _That's what happens to bots that cross me,"_ Rotors said over the intercom. _"And that's gonna happen to YOU!"_

Heatwave's optics struggled to make out the apparatus getting closer and closer to his right ped.

He bit down on the gag and hot oil tears streaked down his cheeks as the device began to take his leg slowly and painfully apart.

Xxx

"R-Rotors did all these things… to those younglings?"

Airachnid asked after reading the datapads. It took a lot to make her uneasy. This made her uneasy. "No wonder Megatron wants him dead."

"And those are just the ones we know of. We don't know how many others he could've hurt and killed," Razor said as she opened the morgue.

"Now have are you going to show me?"

Razor opened a body drawer.

"Whoa!" Airachnid took a step back when she saw the corpse. "Was he dismantled?!"

"Alive," Razor said as she closed the drawer. "Look, sis, this guy is more dangerous than you. And that's saying a lot. You need to bring backup with you for this guy. When Air Raid comes back with Heatwave, I'm assigning him, along with another bot and a few Pretenders to help you capture Rotors. Contact me when you have him."

"I work alone."

"Here's an upside: you can make Air Raid more uncomfortable."

Airachnid smiled a bit. She did like that idea. She liked it a LOT.

" _Razor, Heatwave is MIA. Are you sure your sister doesn't kill Rescue Bots?"_ Air Raid asked.

Xxx

Cody was playing fetch with K-9 in the bunker when the groundbridge opened and the bots exited.

"Is Blades' throat okay? Where's First Aid?" the young human asked.

"First Aid's taking some time off at Team Prime's base," Chroma answered.

'My voice box was temporarily removed so it can recover faster,' Blades wrote. 'Is there anyway Dani can teach me ASL?'

"Sure, I'll ask. Hey, where's Heatwave?" Cody looked around.

The bots looked at each other uneasy.

"H-he has gone missing," Chase said.

Xxx

"Is this really necessary?" Airachnid asked as her sister covered up her Decepticon insignia with temporary paint.

"It's so our transmutate won't attack and kill you," Razor said.

Air Raid stuck his head in the room. "Jackie and Buzzsaw are here, but Buzzsaw's talons are digging into Slayer's skull and he isn't letting go."

"Where's the crowbar?!" Jackie shouted.

Xxx

Heatwave began gasping as the device finished taking apart his ankle and his eyes began to roll back as it moved up his leg.

Xxx

"Jackie, this is my cousin, Black Arachnia," Razor said.

"Hello, transmutate," 'Black Arachnia' said.

"It's 'Jackie', 'con," Jackie said looking at the femme's chest.

Black Arachnia put her arms over her chest. "You said she wouldn't see it!" she whispered to Razor.

"She's on our side, Jackie. She's gonna help us find Heatwave," Razor said.

"Okay. Where's a computer so I can log in the data Buzzsaw has?" Jackie asked.

Razor picked her up and carried her to computer.

Jackie perched Buzzsaw on a switch, opened his back panel, and used her iPad charger as an adapter to load the info into the computer.

"I'll tell Agent Fowler we need Skylynx in space," Razor said. "Air Raid, prep the bridge!"

Xxx

Heatwave's spark was pounding in his ears as he lost consciousness.

Xxx

" _Dada! Dada! Wakey!" a little voice said._

 _Heatwave woke up to his toddler daughter on his chest._

" _Hey, little Sparkler! Dada's waking up," he sat up and put Sparkler on his lap. "How's my little girl doing?"_

" _Pway! Pway!" Sparkler jumped up and down, one little ped hitting Heatwave below the belt._

" _Oh! Okay, okay! Why don't you play with your Uncle Blades?" Heatwave opened the door and let her walk out._

" _Dada need Dada time?" his daughter looked at him with big eyes._

" _Y-yeah, Dada's had a bad dream."_

" _Okay! I go now!" she ran down the hall._

 _Heatwave sighed and closed the door._

 _He grabbed a datapad and laid down._

 _He knew this wasn't real life. It was a side effect from his medicine, a side effect he never told anyone about. Three years had passed in this world._

 _He looked through the album involving his daughter._

 _He smiled at the picture of him in Razor's sickbay with his newborn daughter. The gestation went well, didn't even show. When he told the humans near the end of his first trimester, Chief Burns let him have time off for Sparkler's safety. He looked at a picture of an ultrasound that Kade took. He was kind of pissed, but Kade was just curious. He looked back at the picture of newborn Sparkler. He and Kade were playing video games when he felt stomach cramps. He tried to tell Kade it was nothing, but Kade contacted Razor anyway. Good thing he did, too. Turned out he was in labor and had a C-section. His Cybertronian team visited the day he had her and the humans the second. Her armor was so soft, malleable, and delicate. The humans were confused, as they thought her metal would be as tough as his, but Ratchet explained when Team Prime visited him. He was so scared on how the would react, and so were they. They were accepting, but didn't exactly know how to show it. The bot he was worried about the most was First Aid. He left the team a week after Sparkler was born._

" _Heatwave, are you okay?" Chroma said as she entered his room. "Sparkler said you had a nightmare."_

" _Yeah," Heatwave turned off the datapad. "And I was thinking about…"_

" _First Aid. We all miss him. Especially Ratchet."_

 _They both sighed._

" _Has anyone…?" Heatwave trailed._

 _Chroma shook her head._

" _I'm gonna get some energon," Heatwave exited his room._

Xxx

Jackie exited the groundbridge into the bunker.

The bots immediately started asking her about Heatwave.

"Buzzsaw found Heatwave and they're going to get him now," she said.

Xxx

Air Raid, Razor, and Airachnid exited the groundbridge and magnetized themselves to some spacebridge debris.

"Where's his ship?" Airachnid asked.

"A few kliks away. We need to wait for Skylynx before we go and rescue Heatwave," Air Raid explained.

"How do we know it won't move from its current position?! I was given orders to scrap him!"

"We just have to pray," Razor said before her comm beeped. "Agent Fowler, what's Skylynx's ETA? Well, that's REAL helpful, fleshie!" she turned to her sister and teammate. "Change in plans. We move now!"

Xxx

"C-can't we use the groundbridge again? Like, when you took out the spacebridge?" Agent Fowler asked Ratchet.

"No. I don't think it can take it again," Ratchet said.

Arcee walked in with Jack after his shift.

"Hwy, I hear that First Aid's back. What's that about?" Jack asked.

"No, h-he… had an incident," Ratchet said.

"What, like a panic attack?"

"Let's just say when we get our hands on Rotors…" Bulkhead transformed his right hand into a wrecking ball.

"Bulkhead, when we apprehend Rotors we must remain calm," Optimus said.

"So what?! So he can make First Aid worse?!" Ratchet shouted.

"N-no! I did not mean for it to come out like that! I meant so we can properly prosecute him!"

"Oh-ho! I vote that after we prosecute him we take away his mech-hood!" Arcee activated her blades.

"I'm actually inclined to agree with Prime on prosecuting the creep, but not the genital mutilation," Fowler said.

"Everyone, just shut it!" a huge, griffin-like mech walked it.

"Whoa!" Jack backed up and fell on his backside.

"Optimus, I believe First Aid is having a panic attack. Can you help Bumblebee calm him down?" the mech asked.

"Primus, I've made things worse…" Optimus muttered as he walked down the hall.

"By the AllSpark, I'll never understand how he keeps such a level head. Oh! A new human? Or another transmutate?" the mech brought his head down to get a better look at Jack and opened two panels on his back and a robotic arm came out. "Need help up?"

Jack grabbed the arm and the mech helped him up.

"Wh-who are you?!" Jack asked.

"Oh, Jack, this is Skylynx," Arcee said. "Skylynx used to go into space for us in the 80's to help us Decepticons."

"My alternate mode can fly, but I need assistance getting into space via rockets. Now that NASA isn't flying anymore, I have no way of getting into space," Skylynx said.

"Wait… I think I know how you can get back in space!" Jack said. "Remember how Jackie invited us for the _Asgard_ 's launch? You can take that to look for Heatwave!"

"How do you-? Arcee?" Ratchet asked.

"Hey, Jackie invited the kids to see the launch," Arcee said.

Xxx

Darksyde was redressing Rotors' wound from the transmutate attack.

"Sir, are you certain you want to have First Aid as well? He's an adult, now," Darksyde said.

"Ha! Have you seen him? He may have that scar, but he's so youthful looking!" Rotors said.

"Don't you think you should be with a bot of around your own age?"

"Yes. After I've bedded and snuffed First Aid."

"And if he expires before then?"

"Eh, I'll move on."

Darksyde finished redressing the wound.

Xxx

"Whoa! What the heck is that?!" Kade exclaimed when he saw Skylynx transform on video.

"Oh, that's Skylynx. The bots used to use him for space searches, but now he's kind of retired," Jackie said.

"So, they're using the _Asgard_ to get him in space again? Why?" Graham asked.

"To rescue Heatwave."

Xxx

 _Heatwave walked into the bunker for him and Sparkler._

 _Chase was getting a show ready._

" _What are we watching today?" Heatwave asked._

" _Sparkler wishes to watch_ America's Dumbest Criminals _," Chase said._

" _Cwiminaws awe dumb!" Sparkler said._

 _Heatwave chuckled and gave her her energon. "Careful not to spill."_

 _The 'incoming message alert came from the command center._

" _Don't worry, I'll keep and optic on Sparkler," Chase said as he wiped energon off the corner of Sparkler's mouth._

" _All right," Heatwave walked into the command center and answered the call._

"Hey, Heatwave. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" _First Aid asked._

" _Where are you?!" Heatwave exclaimed._

 _A set of coordinates appeared on the screen._

"Only you. It's a surprise."

 _Heatwave exited the command center. "Chase, I have to go. I'll be back as soon as I can."_

Xxx

Air Raid, Airachnid and Razor landed on top of Rotors' ship when they saw the _Asgard_ 's laser cable.

"What in the name of the AllSpark is that?" Airachnid asked.

"Probably Skylynx's ride into space," Razor said.

Air Raid got out his laser rifle. "Stand back, ladies." He began tapping different parts of the hull with the barrel.

Airachnid looked at her sister in confusion.

"I'm just as lost as you are," Razor said.

Xxx

"Agent Fowler, is Optimus okay?" Chief Burns asked when he saw the Prime sleeping in the bunker.

"Well, I'm guessing towing Skylynx from the military base on the mainland to the _Asgard_ took a lot of energy. And you gotta remember that he's like, a billion years old," Fowler said.

Buzzsaw flew in and perched himself on Prime's crest.

"Chief, where did that minicon come from?" Fowler asked.

"A friend of Jackie's gave him to her after Heatwave was first kidnapped. She's been using him to try and find Rotors," Chief said.

"Well, that minicon is a Decepticon. Do you realize how much danger the Rescue Bots are in?"

"I thought that the Decepticons were afraid of Jackie."

Xxx

"Sky, try to get in the ship through a P.V. port. The ship's design says there's three of them in the underbelly," Razor commed.

"Air, get your webs ready," Air Raid said.

"I don't like that nickname," Airachnid said as she and her sister lifted the metal.

"Well, I don't like you flirting with me," Aid Raid jumped into the hole and helped the sisters down.

"Just getting under your metal."

Xxx

 _Heatwave's jaw dropped. "F-First Aid… what did you DO?!"_

 _First Aid looked at Rotors' severed head as he gouged the optic out. "Got our revenge."_

Xxx

Bumblebee ran into the main hall of the base, extremely fast.

"Whoa, Bee, slow down! What happened?" Bulkhead asked.

("F-First Aid! Brig! Energon rations! Help!") Bumblebee grabbed the mech's arm and ran in the direction of the brig.

Arcee and Ratchet followed them and saw energon flowing on the ground flowing out of the brig.

They all ran in and saw First Aid had chained up the five hovers, crushed their voice boxes and sewn their mouths shut, and had mutilated their reproductive systems.

"First Aid… no… no, no, no!" Ratchet buried his face in his hands.

"Are they all… dead?" Arcee asked.

First Aid slit the last one's throat. "They are now."

"Bee, get the cuffs," Bulkhead grabbed First Aid and led him to a different cell.

First Aid whimpered and grabbed Bulkhead's arm in fear. "Wh-what happened?"

"You don't remember ANY of this?!" Arcee exclaimed.

First Aid whimpered again.

Xxx

The three fliers snuck through Rotors' ship and broke into the security room, capturing the mechs inside.

"Airachnid, if you take this hall, you'll get to the hanger Sky's in. can you take the prisoners?" Razor asked as she pointed to the map.

"I will. Let's-!"

"Shh!" Air Raid hissed.

Airachnid rolled her optics and let the prisoners to the transport bot.

"You find where Heatwave is?" Air Raid asked Razor.

Razor did some typing and brought up another map. "Let's go!" she downloaded the map and they followed it.

Xxx

"Don't worry, Ratchet. I'll send a shrink over," Fowler said.

"What happened?" Cody asked.

"Ratchet didn't go into detail, but he wants First Aid to get a psychological evaluation. Kid must've had a break down."

"Jack said that First Aid killed the prisoners," Miko said after Fowler left the kitchen.

"Good," Jackie said as she brushed Buzzsaw. "Bee said that those guys said yucky things to him. One of them said something to First Aid to make him snap."

Chief entered the kitchen. "Jackie, Optimus wants to talk with you about Buzzsaw."

Xxx

Razor turned off and destroyed the machine that was dismantling Heatwave and helped Air Raid get the injured mech to the groundbridge.

Xxx

The shrink entered Team Prime's base.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Hernandez. Where's my patient?" the shrink asked.

"I'll take you to him," Bulkhead picked up the doctor and took him to First Aid.

Ratchet was about to contact Optimus when Air Raid called.

"Yes, what do you-?"

" _We got Heatwave and we need your medical help fixing him! H-he's in shock!"_ Air Raid said.

Xxx

"I'm telling you! Soundwave reprogrammed him to find Rotors and monitor Griffin Rock's Cybertronian life forms!" Jackie said as she hugged Buzzsaw.

"Look, I know it's been a very stressful day for everyone, especially you, but we cannot allow a Deceptico minicon around the Rescue Bots," Optimus said.

"YOU'RE the one who's stressed! And Soundwave rescued Heatwave the first time he was kidnapped!"

"Sir, Buzzsaw did help find Heatwave most recently," Chase said. "What are your intentions with Buzzsaw if Jackie gives him to you?"

"To put him down," Optimus said. "He is a treat to the Autobots."

"No. I am," Jackie said as she began to transmutate, her voice changing as she continued to speak. "And if you kill Buzzsaw, I'll go Attack on Titan on your GRAAAHH!"

'D-do we want to know what that last word was?' Blades said.

Xxx

"You FAILED at snuffing Rotors?!" Megatron exclaimed at Airachnid after she presented him with the captured hovers.

"I can explain!" she said.

"And the Autobot's space control?"

"Well, maybe not him. It's a long story."

Megatron turned to some vehicons. "Take the prisoners to the brig." He returned his attention to Airachnid once they left. "I have time for this long story."

Xxx

"Heatwave stirred a couple of days after his rescue and surgery.

"Hello, Heatwave," Razor said. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, I guess," he sat up and looked around. "Wh-where's Sparkler?"

"Who's Sparkler?"

"My daughter. She's three and—oh, scrap!" Heatwave buried his face in his hands.

Razor sat down next to him. "What's going on?"

"You know the medicine you gave me for my PTSD? I-I've been having dreams… about the kid."

"Well, the medicine's doing its job then."

"You mean it's normal?!"

"Yes, it focuses on your subconscious. Can you elaborate your dreams for me?"

Xxx

Darksyde entered Rotors' room. "Sir, we were unable to find the intruders or missing mechs."

"That's fine. Heatwave's not going to be able to protect his boyfriend anymore."

Xxx

Optimus was checking the islands for signs of Decepticons when he heard a Cybertronian transform and land.

He turned around, weapons ready and saw Megatron.

"I'm not here to fight; just to talk," Megatron said.

"What about?" Optimus asked, not deactivating his weapons.

"Last year, an unaligned mech and his crew came to us Decepticons, wanting to join. I had Soundwave run a background check on him and…" Megatron handed Optimus—who deactivated one weapon—an arrest report, "This freak has done awful things to younglings. I thought he left this planet until your transmutate contacted Soundwave."

Optimus sighed. "Of course she did…"

"The thing is I am going to have a small group of my Decepticons working on hunting him down and bringing him to justice. Perhaps some of your Autobots will join? We will leave those Rescue Bots alone."

"How can I know that for sure?"

"Griffin Rock is a place we don't go to _once_."


	29. The Search for the Griffin's Nest

"According to local legends, numerous griffins once roamed the islands off the coast of Maine. A male griffin perched atop a mountain on the largest island, where it turned to stone for a long hibernation. This gave the island its name—Griffin Rock," Cody read from the book.

"It's only a rock _shaped_ like a griffin," Tommy said. "Earning this folklore patch is lame."

"Folklore isn't lame," Jackie said after she tied up Abby. "It's how cultures explain the unknown, entertain one another, and warn their children."

"Let's get a closer look," Cody said.

The five Lad Pioneers (yes, Jackie is the newest member) walked the path and Jackie noticed the others acting bored.

"Cody, lets add some fun to this hike," she said.

Cody nodded.

He and Jackie motioned for the others to hide behind a boulder with them.

"He spotted us!" Jackie whispered.

"We have to defend ourselves," Cody got out his slingshot.

"Oho! Now we're talking!" Tommy said.

Cody picked up a stone and slingshot it at a rock, which bounced off and hit the mountain's 'face'.

"And that's the ricochet," Cody said.

Then a small earthquake hit.

"Okay, time we go home," Jackie herded the boys back down the path and texted for a pick up.

" _Cody, get off the mountain and watch out for rockslides,"_ Chief Burns commed.

Abby roared at something and Jackie looked up.

"A flying car?! The fuck is this?! _Harry Potter?!_ " Jackie exclaimed as she went dragon. "You guys run!"

The red family car stopped moving in the sky and fell.

Jackie almost caught it, but it slipped from her claws and caused a rockslide.

She dove down, grabbed the boys, and curled up, protecting them from injury.

Chase and Chief showed up right after the car landed on the road.

"Everyone okay?" Chief asked.

"We are, but there's no driver," Cody said.

Chief pressed his comm. "Dani, see if you can track down the Rubios. Their car just tumbled down a mountain _without_ them."

" _On it, Dad,"_ Dani said.

"Come on, kids. I'll give you a ride home."

"Getting this folklore patch is AWESOME!" Tommy said.

Xxx

Chief, Chase, and Cody arrived back at the firehouse.

"Dad, we've had a string of burglaries in the last 30 minutes," Kade said.

"A couple bicycles, four satellites, and a toy rocket?" Heatwave said confused.

"That's an odd assortment," Chief said.

"I'll open a case file immediately," Chase said.

"I'll check scrapyards and pawnshops," Chroma said.

Dani and Blades entered the garage.

"Raychel and T.J. found the Rubios at Griffin Point Park," Dani said. "They weren't in their car when it took off."

"They said it was as if something snatched up their car – something invisible and terrifying! I added that last part," Blades said. "Is First Aid still on psych leave?"

"Yeah," Heatwave confirmed.

"The car _did_ look like it was being carried by something," Cody said.

"I will add that to the case file," Chase said.

"All this happed right after the earthquake," Chief noted.

"More specifically, volcanic disturbance," Graham said. "Our sensors put the origin on Wayward Island."

"But don't worry, there's no threat of eruption," Boulder said.

"But, I would like to go to Wayward and replace the sensor. For some reason, it's offline."

"Good idea. Take the _Darby Ava_ ," Chief said.

"Hey, let's all go," Cody said.

"Uh, why?" Kade asked.

"Yeah, that place is just a good place to get lost," Dani said.

"I think it'd be interesting. I just read that female griffins used one of the nearby islands as a nesting ground. Maybe it's Wayward!" Cody said.

Kade took Cody's book. "'Old Timer's Guide to Maine Island Folklore'. Yeah, I'm out." He tossed the book back to Cody.

"I don't want to go to Wayward anytime soon. Sorry, Cody," Dani said.

"Ohh," Cody looked down.

"You know those are only stories, Cody," Chief said.

"Yeah, but look at Jackie! How do we know for SURE that griffins back then?"

"What would predacons be doing on earth?" Heatwave said. "Jackie could just be the descendant of an experiment."

" _That we know of_ ," Blades contradicted.

"It would be an adventure," Cody said.

"We have had enough of that, thank you."

"It would also help me write a report for my folklore patch."

"Ugh. It's a reason," Heatwave admitted. "Count us in."

"Even me?" Blades asked.

"Yep."

"Chase, Chroma, K-9 and I will stay here," Chief said.

"Good luck," Boulder said.

"And to you in your search of a mythical creature," Chase said.

"Can we wait until tomorrow?" Blades asked. "I saw the weather report and it says the ocean's really choppy today."

"And you can rest your leg more," K-9 added.

"My leg's—ow! —fine," Heatwave said. "You're both stalling."

"I think they're both right, Heatwave," Chief said. "The wind is going to pick up in a couple of hours and your leg is bothering you."

"Fine, first thing tomorrow!"

"Let's get your leg brace on and into healing stasis for an hour or two," Blades said.

Xxx

Heatwave walked into the bunker and saw First Aid watching 'Untold Stories of the E.R.' on the couch.

"First Aid! How've you been? I haven't seen you in three weeks!" Heatwave said.

"Good. I'm taking antipsychotics," the medic said.

"Yeah… I heard about that. When do you think you'll be ready to rejoin?"

"Not for a while," Razor said as she and Blades walked up to them. "He needs to readjust to his surroundings. I'm going to stay, but I have to go to a meeting real quick with Optimus Prime, so Blades will be monitoring him."

"But, Blades is going with Wayward with us."

"Which is why Jackie and Emerald joined you for your monster hunt. Now, if you'll excuse me," Razor said.

"Well, Blades, you got your wish."

Xxx

The team was traveling to Wayward Island.

"What are we looking for?" Heatwave asked as they looked at the sky.

"Female griffins," Jackie said.

"Seriously?"

"Should've known," Boulder said.

"Any abilities they have?" Jackie asked Cody. Her blue hair went back to brown.

"According to my book, female griffins can turn invisible so no one could follow them back to their nests," Cody said.

"I don't think there's a connection to the missing metals and the car incident," Emerald said.

"Yeah, I would've killed it," Jackie said.

Xxx

Optimus was pacing back and forth in Razor's office.

"Optimus, please calm down," Ratchet said.

"I-I know, but what if this is a trap?"

" _It's not a trap,"_ Skylynx said. _"And they're here."_

Xxx

The team arrived on Wayward.

"The broken sensor is near the island's center. We head north," Graham said.

"Keep an eye out for anything that could be a griffin nest," Cody told the bots.

"I'll go high!" Jackie went T1 and flew off.

"Remember, look for nests made of strong materials like rock and metal!" Emerald shouted.

"Wait, if the female griffin is real—hypothetically speaking—could it use… _us_ as nest material?" Boulder asked.

"Well, back on Cybertron I did a report on predacons. I noted that predacons that resembled griffins tore up larger predicons for their skeletons for their nests. Or they could've been scavenged," Emerald said.

Heatwave did a quick gulp and glanced at his leg. "Does that mean—i-if they're real—I-I'd be…"

"Easy prey."

Xxx

"Chief, none of the items showed up in local scrapyards or pawn shops," K-9 said.

"But the locations are high elevation locations. The others are investigating," Chase said.

 _"Chief, Chroma and I are going to need some help_ ," Ally said.

"What happened?" Chief asked.

 _"We were talking with one of the witnesses when something yanked Chroma and dropped her down the mountain."_

Xxx

"I don't remember going this way when we installed the sensors," Boulder said.

"Are we lost?" Cody asked.

"Maybe. Something's really interfering with the compass," Graham said.

Boulder scanned a pillar shaped stone. "I think it's that rock."

"I'll call Jackie," Emerald started to whistle.

Boulder scanned the rock again. "It has a high amount of iron. Could be a lodestone."

"What's a lodestone?" Cody asked.

Clank!

"ACK! Jackie!" Emerald rubbed her head.

"You know I hate whistling!" Jackie said as she picked up the bike. "I could've gone dragon!"

"A lodestone is a naturally occurring magnet," Graham said.

"That's what happened to you?"

Heatwave got a closer look at the lodestone. "There's something carved on here." He removed the vines. "Are those… griffins?" he backed away in fear.

This time Emerald scanned the stone. "These date back to Leif Erikson's days."

"Some Vikings did believe in mythical creatures like griffins."

"I found a nest carving by the broken sensor," Jackie said. "Not sure if it was a nesting ground, since we don't know how griffins gestate."

"Does anyone else feel like they're being pulled by something?" Heatwave asked.

Then the bots were yanked by an invisible force.

Jackie flew off again.

Xxx

"Chief, none of the items showed up in local scrapyards or pawn shops," K-9 said.

"But the locations are high elevation locations. The others are investigating," Chase said.

" _Chief, Chroma and I are going to need some help,_ " Ally said.

"What happened?" Chief asked.

" _We were talking with one of the witnesses when something yanked Chroma and dropped her down the mountain."_

Xxx

Blades and First Aid saw the footage of the tow-truck being pulled by something in the sky.

"So… things have gotten worse?" First Aid asked.

"You can't pay me to fly today," Blades said.

Xxx

Graham and Cody chased after the bots and heard Jackie's transmutate scream.

Something landed behind them.

"What is that?" Cody asked.

"It's the engine from the _Draby Ava_ ," Graham answered.

"Something's jamming the comms."

Xxx

Heatwave was crying in pain as Emerald and Boulder put a makeshift cast on his leg.

Jackie landed with two bikes.

"Where'd you get those?" Emerald asked.

Jackie got out her phone and showed her the picture.

"Heatwave!" Cody shouted.

"What's wrong with his leg?" Graham said.

"He landed funny," Boulder said.

"I-it's Rotors! He's come to finish me off! I want my mommy!" Heatwave held onto Boulder as if his life depended on it.

"Unfortunately, we can't go back to Griffin Rock with a busted boat. Something ripped the engine out," Graham said.

"Jackie may have solved to mystery," Emerald said as she gave Heatwave some pain medicine. "And I found something, too."

Xxx

"I can see why you were so nervous," Ratchet said to Optimus after Megatron had left them with his team.

It consisted of 30 new fliers and Ionix: Optimus Prime's son.

"What? Think I'm a traitor?" Ionix asked.

"I-it's just… I-I don't know how to feel," Optimus asked. "I thought…your carrier and I… we thought you died in that raid."

"And now you're a Deception," Ratchet said.

"Sympathizer," Ionix corrected. "I only hunt down those sickos like Rotors."

"May we have a moment? Ionix and I?" Optimus asked.

The others left.

"I'm not going to—"

Optimus just hugged and held his son as he cried. "I'm just glad you're alive!"

Xxx

Heatwave was pretty doped up as Boulder carried him.

"It's through here," Emerald pushed some foliage out of the way to reveal a gate entrance with an aggressive griffin sculpture on top.

Heatwave screamed like a little girl and tried to run.

"It's just a statue," Boulder said.

"What did you give him?" Graham asked Emerald.

"Zap-Pony pain killers. Probably wasn't the best, but I had to make due," Emerald said. "Wanna explore?"

"Heck yeah!" Cody walked through.

"Are we in a temple?" Heatwave whispered.

Jackie got Cody's book out and gave it to him.

"My book says that the nesting grounds are sacred and well protected," Cody said.

"With magic?" Heatwave asked like a little kid.

The bots were suddenly pulled again, but not as strong as before.

"And we're all scuffed up," Emerald said.

"The magic is EVIL!" Heatwave cried.

"Th-there's probably a scientific explanation for this," Boulder comforted.

Jackie started to drag Graham down the tunnel.

"What is it" Graham asked.

"Mm! Mm! Mm!" Jackie jumped up and down as she pulled him.

"Let's follow her lead," Emerald said. "Boulder, take Heatwave back to the boat and try to contact Razor."

"Will do," Boulder said.

"Why does cake lie?" Heatwave asked.

Jackie pointed to a light colored floor stone and motioned to not step on them.

Xxx

Heatwave was repeating "Why does cake lie?" over and over when Chase, Chief, Kade, and Dani arrived on Doc Greene's sea lab.

"Boulder, two questions: how did the _Darby Ava_ get in a tree? And what is Heatwave on?" Kade asked.

"Heavy duty pain medicine and no idea about the boat. Magnets, maybe? Do any of your comms work?"

Xxx

Jackie pointed at the fake nest.

"Close enough, but still cool," Cody smiled and took a picture.

"What's all the scrap doing around it?" Emerald asked.

Jackie flew up and grabbed the quake sensor. "It's all this things fault," she hoarsely said.

"Can you lift it out?" Graham asked.

Jackie tried, but it surged and she dropped it.

"Whoa!" Emerald tried to back away from the machine. "I think I'm being pulled and that lava 'round the nest ain't too friendly!"

Jackie went dragon a bit, pried a crowbar off of one of the rocks and hit the sensor.

"Phew! Now how does that even work?" Emerald asked Graham.

"The rocks around the nest and maybe in it appear to be lodestones. Maybe they become super magnets whenever they're charged," Graham suggested. "Jackie, can you give us the sensor?"

Jackie threw it at them.

Xxx

"C'mon, guys! C'mon!" Jackie said a few days later. "You have to see what I found!"

"Slow down!" Heatwave called out.

"Boulder can carry you again," Emerald said.

"I said I'll walk!"

"This better not be scary," Blades said.

"I should've gone with Hayley to see that stupid movie," Kade said.

"I hope First aid's okay," Raychel said.

"Me too," T.J. said.

"C'mon! To the ledge!" Jackie said.

The team walked to the cliff edge.

"Look! Look!" she pointed.

"Uh, at what?" Kade asked.

"The griffin!"

"Is it invisible?" Cody asked.

"No. Dead. I-it's a fossil."

"Can I have your phone?" Emerald asked.

Jackie gave it to her and she plugged it into her arm.

Emerald turned to the team. "I'm gonna turn on my scanner, so you may need to stand back."

"Why?" Dani asked.

"You'll see," Boulder said.

Her scanners scanned the floor and an audio blast removed the dirt surrounding the fossil.

"Is that?"

"No way. No freaking way."

"Well, I'll be."

"By the AllSpark."

Blades screamed in fear at the enormous griffin fossil.

"The legends are real," Cody breathed.

(A/N: I wanted to tie in TFP and RB a bit more, see Heatwave on a 'trip', and introduce a new character. Optimus and Elita-1 thought he had died in the raid that killed First Aid's mother, so they used to be friends.)


	30. Bots and Robbers

Blades and Boulder were watching the Crawfish Race on TV.

"Were the sharks busy?" Heatwave asked.

"Do you want to sit with us?" Blades asked. "You can pick what we watch next."

"SVU okay? Chicago Fire's off season."

"Well, I—"

Boulder was cut off by First Aid running in from a groundbridge. "It wasn't my fault!" he sobbed.

"First Aid, he didn't mean it like that!" Razor chased after him onto the Sigma.

"And it's a 'no'," the mechs said together.

["Abby, NO!"]

"Oh, no! Scuttle Tail!" Blades exclaimed.

"Okay, this is more entertaining! Heatwave said.

"Unknown, mustachioed intruder, trespassing is against the law," Robot Chase said as he picked up the 'intruder'.

"Curses, foiled again," Cody said in a fake accent.

"Cody?" Boulder asked.

"What's with the mustache?" Heatwave asked.

"I have a role in my school's play. I'm the villain," Cody said. "Bad News Bruce."

"But, you are neither a villain nor a 'Bruce'—you are a Cody Burns," Chase said.

"I'm just pretending. Using my imagination, you know, for fun."

"I fail to see the good in falsifying one's identity."

"It's like in the crime shows you watch," Blades said. "And police sometimes go 'undercover' to catch more bad guys."

"Maybe these detective movies will help you understand," Cody said as he got the DVDs.

" _Hustle up, Team. There's been a break in at the museum,"_ Chief Burns said.

Xxx

"Hey, careful, bro! You break that and our plans go to trash!" Myles said.

"Too late for that, _bro,"_ Kade said as the lights turned on.

"Evan and Myles, put your hands in the air!" Chief ordered.

"Why stop at _our_ hands, Chief?" Myles said as he and his brother escaped.

The team attempted to use Doc Greene's new security system, but Evan and Myles had hacked it and it attacked the bots.

Ally dodged the hands and shot out the joints, releasing the bots.

"Thanks, partner," Chroma said as the bots got out of the limp hands' grip.

" _I think Evan and Myles are jamming the cameras. I can't get a visual!"_ Cody said.

"We can ask Jackie to help when she's back from Wayward," Heatwave said before his right knee buckled. "Ah! Chief, can I take a day off?"

"This is why Razor wants you in healing stasis at least an hour a day," Blades said.

"All they took was a chunk of mechanite. It's pretty, but not rare or worth anything," Graham said.

"Maybe they're attempting a scam," Ally said.

"Or we scared them off before they got to the good stuff," Boulder said.

"They're up to something. I just wish I knew what it was," Chief said.

Chroma noticed the look Chase had in his eye.

Xxx

"Hey, Chase, wanna train?" Heatwave asked.

"I cannot. I am busy studying these informative motion pictures Cody gave me," Chase said.

"You're watching movies."

"I am conducting research."

"Care if I join you?" Chroma asked.

"By all means."

"Heatwave, Ion's willing to spar."

Chase and Chroma watched the movie.

"I believe I am starting to understand 'undercover'," Chase told his mate.

"I did some undercover work, as well," Chroma said. "Managed to put away quite a few bad guys, one mob, and find a few bots."

Xxx

"Have you guys seen Chase?" Cody asked.

"He's studying with Chroma," K-9 said.

"By roleplaying," First Aid crossed his arms.

Xxx

Dani walked into the command center where Chase and Chroma were.

"Okay, let's try this again WITHOUT the self-narration," Chroma said.

"What are you two doing?" Dani asked.

"Attempting to use my imagination to expand my knowledge of law enforcement," Chase said.

"And where did you get the hat?"

"He bought it online," Chroma groaned.

"Apparently, one size really does fit all," Chase said as he took off the fedora.

"Evan and Myles just stole Huxley's broadcast satellite!" K-9 said. "We need to roll out!"

"Rescue Bots, roll to the – ow! I'll take the command center with First Aid," Heatwave limped into the command center.

Xxx

"Chase, are you… narrating?" Chief asked they went to the scene of the crime.

" _He's seen too many old-timey detective movies,"_ Chroma said.

"It works 99.8% of the time in filmic evidence to catch the criminals," Chase said.

"If it helps, I'm all for it," Chief said.

" _What are they up to?"_ Dani asked _._

" _Maybe they want to watch TV,"_ Blades suggested.

"I doubt it's that innocent, Blades," Chief said. "I'd give anything to know what they're up to.

That got Chase thinking.

Xxx

Jackie had hitched up Abby to a tree and ate a snack. She saw a building out of the corner of her eye.

Xxx

Heatwave went into the Sigma to check on First Aid. "Everything okay?"

"I had to give him some sedatives, but he'll be fine," Razor said. "Thank you for letting me stay overnight."

"Anything to help my team. Wanna help in the Command Center? Another set of optics doesn't hurt."

"Not a problem."

The two watched the security feed.

"For an elder human male, Chief Burns is quite agile," Razor said as Chief dodged the evil twins' car.

"They actually think they can use Chase as a getaway car? Heh. I'd like to see them try," Heatwave said. "Any second he's gonna hit on the breaks."

"Heatwave."

"Any second."

"Heatwave."

"Just give him a minute."

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen."

"What? He's out of camera view!"

"Told you."

Xxx

Ionix was driving when a horse and rider stopped him. _The frag?_

"You should get tinted windows," the rider dismounted her ride.

Ionix transformed, waved his arms and screamed.

"You're lucky this isn't a popular drive. You're Optimus Prime's kid, right?" she asked.

"Who are you? His pet?" Ionix stepped into the woods.

She flew into his face. "No, just what the cons are most afraid of."

Xxx

"Stealing a police car?! Chief Burns just got chief burned. Let's put this dish on big mama," Myles said.

Chase transformed after the evil twins exited the warehouse. "Police log. Undercover mission. Something tells me these two mugs are cooking up a plan so big they'll need more cooking supplies." He walked around the warehouse. "I must report their activities to my chief. So, I'll—no, no, Chroma would say that next line is too cheesy." Chase saw… "Hmm. This must be the shopping list. Their next ingredient must be from Doc Greene's lab. Yes, that's better." Chase tried his comm, but it didn't work. "What would Chroma do in this situation?"

"Hey! Hold it right there, robot! Where do you think _you're_ going?" Myles asked.

"Awaiting input," robot Chase said.

"Nice! Check it out, bro. This hunk of junk has to do everything we say! Hey, Cop-bot! change into a car!"

Chase did so.

"Now back to a robot! Hop on one foot! Do push-ups! Now act like a chicken!"

Chase did all of that.

Evan said something only his brother could understand.

"Repeat after me: 'Evan and Myles rule. The Burnses just drool'!" Myles translated.

Chase did a minute gulp. He hated insulting others. "Evan and Myles rule. The Burnses just drool." He managed out.

"New orders, Gearbrain. Steal us some floatium from the lab."

 _Well, that's the ingredient._

"I said move it!"

Chase transformed and let them in.

Xxx

The team was trying to figure out the reason for the evil twins crimes.

"Maybe they're bored?" Blades asked.

"Kleptomania?" K-9 asked.

"Razor, what do you see?" Chroma asked.

"Hopefully, just a science experiment," Razor said.

"I don't think so," Ionix said as he walked in carrying Jackie.

Chroma went for her blaster, but Razor stopped her. "What do you think it is?"

Ionix put Jackie's picture onto the main screen of the Command Center. "A tech wrecker. There's multiple ways of making them; bombs, firearms, satellites, etc. But they always have one key component: mechanite. I don't know exactly how, but it can disable any and all technology."

"What happens when it's used on us?" Boulder asked.

"It depends. Have these guys stolen anything else?"

"A satellite," Heatwave said.

"Then it will weaken us. We should be safe as long as we're underground. I'll start making a few individual protection shields for us."

Xxx

Chase snuck into Doc's lab. _I better self-narrate in my mind only._ He opened the garage door and walked in.

Trex activated and roared at him.

"Down, Trex. Good boy," Chase said as her petted the robot dinosaur.

Chase got the floatium.

Xxx

First Aid and the good twins came back from their hospital protection shield drop off.

"Hey, First Aid," Ionix said.

"Where's everybody else?" First Aid asked.

"There was a break-in at the lab."

"I-I'm going to recharge."

Xxx

Chase came to a screeching halt when he turned a corner an saw the entire team blocking the driveway.

" _Police-bot, stand down!"_ Chief ordered.

"Tell Chief Burns what we taught you to say! Do it!" Myles ordered.

Xxx

"Evan and Myles rule. The Burnses just… _drool,"_ Robot Chase said.

"Did he just…" Graham trailed.

"Insult us? Yep," Chroma whispered.

Chase charged them and got away.

"What the frag?!" Heatwave exclaimed.

"Cody, can you track Chase?" Chief asked.

" _No, sorry, Dad."_

"If we don't stop those guys who knows what will happen?!" Blades said.

"Maybe their tech wrecker won't work," Boulder said.

"'Tech wrecker'?" Kade asked. "The heck's that?"

"Ion thinks that what Evan and Myles are making," Heatwave said.

"Wait. Can that hurt Chase?" Dani asked.

"We don't know. It could weaken him, but we don't have enough information about the machine yet," Blades said.

"If he's going undercover and tries to dismantle it—I-I don't even want to think about it!" Chroma said.

"Everyone back to the firehouse. I want to ask this 'Ion' a few questions," Chief said.

Xxx

"Relax, Chief," Ionix said. "It's nonlethal to Cybertronians, only your planet's technology will be affected, but not perminatly."

"Well, that's good, but we need to contact Chase. I don't want him to get hurt," Chief said.

"Is there anyway we can contact him?" Dani asked.

"We can try morose code, I guess," Ionix said. "Do you have any plans for when the tech fails?"

"We're planning on asking Jackie for a few horses and our twins gave a couple shields to the hospital," Chief said.

Ionix sighed. "So, HALF of the shields I made aren't going to be used the way I wanted? That's just dandy! Look, if any of you bots see a red light, head back here, ASAP! Now, I took a better look at the picture and it looks a bit unstable, so we're gonna have to contact Chase to make sure it's not activated."

"Wait, 'unstable'? What if Chase gets hurt?" Cody asked.

"Then we put him in healing stasis post-surgery. Duh!"

Xxx

 _I feel like I'm going to be sick,_ Chase thought as he recorded the evil twins.

Evan put a device on the outside of the warehouse and a green light surrounded the building.

Chase had received a coded message and started to decode it.

Myles turned on their machine and sprayed it with floatium.

"Stay inside the green light, robot. Unless you want to be fried like all the other tech in town," Myles said.

The machine raised and the evil twins left on their skateboards.

It was at this time that Chase had finished decoding the message. It was to prevent the machine from activating and to remove the mechanite.

"Oh, dear!" Chase attempted to contact his team on a variety of signals. "Exclamation of frustration!"

" _Ha! Can't even curse like a real mech!"_ a garbled voice said.

"Who is this?"

" _Maybe someone who can help you. I see you have a tech wrecker to handle, and an unstable one at that. Hmph! What else you'd suspect from humans? They're lucky it didn't blow!"_

Chase looked around. "Where are you?"

" _In the skies. You want my help or not?"_

Xxx

Ionix handed Heatwave, Blades, and Boulder the only three shields he had left. "Kade! Get off the game and help your town!"

"Uh, why?" Kade asked.

"The red light from the tech wrecker has been spotted!"

Xxx

Chase was using his police tape to make a lasso to get the tech wrecker down.

Xxx

" _Okay, you're on the_ Broadside _'s ERU channel now!"_ Ionix said. _"We'll be in touch incase the cell tower's hit."_

"Thanks, Ionix. Let us know if you find Chase," Chief said as he got on his bike.

Jackie flew to the team. "Has anyone been attacked by a giant robot bird? Buzzsaw's in a bad mood again."

"We'll ask around," Ally said.

"I'll get more first aid kits," Raychel said.

Xxx

Evan ran into the bank and opened the vault. He laughed as he put wads of cash into his bad.

He ran out and a giant metal bird sunk its talons into his right shoulder and tried to take off with him.

"B-B-BRO!" he managed out.

Xxx

" _Did you just check your knot again? I told you, it won't fly off."_

"I just want to be sure," Chase said. "They put a glass container that is sealed around the mechanite. What do I do know? And are you certain that using the floatium on myself, tying myself to the warehouse with ultra-rope and lassoing the tech wrecker was wise?"

" _Ugh! Yes. Now open the panel and listen closely…"_

Xxx

Chief and Ally watched as Myles tried to get Buzzsaw off of his twin only to get knocked out.

"I'll call Jackie and for paramedics," Ally said.

"I'll help Evan," Chief said. "D-down, Buzzsaw! N-nice robot bird!"

Xxx

"Are you certain it's the blue wire?" Chase asked. "You could be a Decepticon for all I know and be trying to kill me."

" _I may be a Decepticon, but I mean you no harm. Heck, all of us are amazed you're alive! Don't you know that Griffin Rock is a death trap?"_

Chase turned off his comm and snipped the red wire.

The machine began to malfunction.

"Oh, I fragged—"

Xxx

Blades and Dani took both sets of twins to the hospital when everyone heard and/or saw an explosion of red smoke and light.

Xxx

"Chase!" Heatwave screamed.

"Oh, man!" Kade got inside Heatwave's cab. "Guys, I think one of the old private warehouses just blew up! Any word from Chase?"

" _I think he was there. That's where his signal last showed up,"_ Ionix said.

"ROLL TO THE RESCUE!" Heatwave shouted.

Xxx

The team arrived at the broken warehouse. Kade was there to meet them.

"Heatwave says it's too unstable for humans to enter," he said.

The bots walked in and saw Heatwave cradling Chase.

"No!" Chroma ran to her mate. "Is he…"

"Alive, but barely," Heatwave said.

"Oh, Primus! Was he knocked in here from the sky?!" Blades exclaimed.

"From the looks of it, yes," Boulder said.

"I'll contact Ratchet," Ionix said as stepped outside.

Blades scanned Chase. "This isn't good! He's losing energon internally and his spark's out of sync!"

"Chase, if you can hear me, I want you to know that… you're my best friend I could ever ask for and I had a crush on you!" Heatwave let a tear fall. "B-but don't worry, the crush is gone!"

"Chase, you will always be in my spark," Chroma said. "I'll never forget you."

Ratchet came in. "Don't say good-bye just yet."

Xxx

Chase walked back into the bunker for days later. "How have things been since I was gone."

"Real quiet," Blades said. "Our favorite days!"

"Razor's letting me go out tomorrow," First Aid said.

"We're doing some work on the _Darby Ava_ and Razor thought it would be good for him to tag along," Boulder said.

"Chroma's been drowning herself in work and Joyce and Ion have teamed up," Heatwave said. "Chroma's on patrol right now."

"Who's Ion?" Chase asked.

"Ionix. Optimus Prime's son," Boulder said.

"Heatwave, may I have a word in private?"

"Sure," both mechs walked into Heatwave's room.

"A crush on me?! Are you serious?!"

"I told you, it's gone."

"When did it go away?"

Heatwave looked at his peds and took a deep breath. "A-after what happened… w-with Rotors."

"Oh, Primus, I feel sick. I'm sorry, I feel sick. What if we never got the new additions to the team? What about then?"

"Who the frag knows! You?"

"I would report you to the Rescue Ethics Department, that's what."

"Chase, I swear on my life that I don't have those feelings anymore! Please! Don't report me!"

Chase looked him dead in the optic. "If it weren't for these events in the past six months I wouldn't care if you dropped dead!" Chase stormed out and K-9 howled in pain.

"You stepped on my fragging leg!"


	31. Rescue Dog

The team was putting shellac on the _Darby Ava._ The tension between Heatwave and Chase was extremely thick.

"Bored. Boring. Boredom," Kade complained. "Oh! Heatwave, how 'bout we put shellac into your pipes and we'll be done in no time!"

"And have that stuff gum up my pipes? Forget it!" Heatwave said.

"Boats don't take care of themselves," Chief Burns told Kade.

"Maybe we can make one does," Boulder said.

"Or one of us can turn into one and go away," Chase stated while glaring at Heatwave.

"I get the message!" Heatwave yelled.

The team got distracted by a dog barking.

"Uh, oh! Guys, over here!" T.J. shouted. "A dog's stuck on the rocks!"

The team ran over.

"I'll call animal control," Raychel said.

"Tide's coming in!" Graham said.

First Aid used his EMPs to make a safety bubble around the dog. "Someone move the rocks!"

Heatwave jumped over the chain-link fence and moved the rocks on the leash, freeing the mutt.

"He's okay," First Aid said after he scanned the dog. "A little hungry and had a rough night, but he's okay."

Heatwave was hit by a wave.

"Are you alright?" Chase asked.

Heatwave spat out sea water. "Like you care!"

"Well, are you?" Kade asked.

"I think I sprained my leg."

"I'll help you out," Blades transformed.

Xxx

"It's alright, boy," Cody said as he dried off the dog. "You're fine now!"

The dog licked his face and Cody laughed.

"Well, someone made a friend," Dani said.

"And here comes the question in three, two, one," Kade said.

"Can we keep him, Dad?" Cody asked.

"We have to find his owner first, Cody," Chief said.

"Well, he lost his tags," T.J. said.

"Jackie says we need to get his chip checked," Raychel said.

"He doesn't look familiar," Dani said.

"Maybe Doctor Doolittle's seen him," Kade said.

"The dog show's in a few days," Graham said. "Maybe we'll find his owner there."

"I'll check it out," Chief said.

"I'll take good care of him, Dad. Honestly, I will," Cody pleaded.

"Cody, we have to find his owner first. If nobody claims him, we'll see about adopting him."

"I hope K-9 doesn't mind having a new roommate," Heatwave said.

Xxx

"Now, what are we gonna call you?" Cody asked the dog.

" _Buster,_ " the dog said.

"His name's Buster," K-9 translated.

Buster wagged his tail.

"Is 'Buster' alright?" Chase asked.

"Most breeds of dogs do that when they're happy, Chase," Boulder explained.

"So, now what do you do with a dog-dog and not a Maximal-dog? No offense, K-9," Blades said.

"None taken," K-9 said, "but, there is a language barriers."

"You pet him, take him for walks, teach him tricks," Chase backed up. "Buster, come here, boy!"

Buster just sat there and looked and K-9.

"Nah. I'll let them figure it out," K-9 said.

"Maybe he's having a bad day," Blades said.

Chief walked in. "No one from the dog show is missing their dog, Cody. Why don't you bring…"

"Buster," Cody said.

"Buster with Jackie and I while we put these lost and found posters around town?"

"Sure! K-9, wanna join?"

"I'll get the leashes!" K-9 jumped off the couch, minding his leg.

Xxx

Heatwave shoved Chase into his room.

"Heatwave, I told you how I feel about your crush on me," Chase said.

"And I can't believe you reacted like that! Y-you don't even know how that felt like! A punch in the face is better than that!" Heatwave said.

"Well, your kind is highly disgusting."

"My _kind_?! Which one? Fire-bot? My sexuality?"

"Clearly your sexuality. You know you can't be queer."

Heatwave looked at Chase in shock. "Y-you think I had a CHOICE?! I-I didn't even know I was bi until I became a firefighter!"

"And did you tell your team then? Your creators?"

Heatwave felt as if he was punched in the gut. "Don't talk about my creators." He growled.

"Why? Because they failed at raising a non-queer?"

"Shut up."

"Did they call you what you deserve to be called: a freak?"

"Shut up!" Heatwave was fighting back tears.

"Are you dead to them?"

"I said 'shut up'! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

"I guess you are then," Chase left the room.

Heatwave slammed the doors shut, flopped down on his berth, and cried.

Xxx

Jackie was putting up old fashion 'found dog' posters when she heard someone say 'showtime!'

She mounted Abby. "C'mon, let's go."

They walked over to Cody and Frankie, who was with her dogs, Aristotle and Edison.

"Trigger words?" she asked.

"Yep," Frankie said.

"Can I try?" Cody asked.

"Go ahead."

"Showtime!"

The two dogs sat up.

"Man, I wish Buster could do that," Cody said.

"Who's buster?" Frankie asked.

"Him," Jackie handed her a flyer. "He was found by the docks. I think it was the storm's fault."

"Poor guy… maybe you can bring him to the show, even enter him. Maybe his owner will be there."

Jackie pulled out her phone. "I'll tell the live-stream team. We'll bring K-9, too."

Xxx

Kade walked the Heatwave's room and knocked on the door. "C'mon, Heatwave! We have to buy more dog food for Buster and K-9!"

He heard Heatwave grumble something in protest.

He opened the minicon lock and opened the door to Heatwave's room. "Wanna repeat that?"

Heatwave sat up in his berth. "G-give me a minute."

"Wait. Are you crying?" Kade asked.

"Y-yeah. Chase and I …. H-had a fight… and h-he crossed a line."

Xxx

"Alright, Kade," Chief said into his cell phone. "I'll ask Chase about this argument he had with Heatwave."

Cody walked over to him. "Dad, can I enter Buster in the dog show? Frankie and Jackie said it's a good idea and we could also enter K-9."

K-9 gave an uncertain growl.

"Well, K-9 hurt his leg last night… w-we'll see about it," Chief said. "But, it could help us find Buster's owner."

"Thanks, Dad! Also, Jackie's going to see about setting up a live-stream at the dog show," Cody said.

Xxx

Kade had loaded the dog food into Heatwave and they pulled out of the parking lot.

"Wanna take the long way home?" Kade asked.

Heatwave nodded.

They drove for about two minutes.

"The fight was about your crush, wasn't it?" Kade asked.

Heatwave sighed. "Yeah. He started asking me questions I was uncomfortable with… things like my family. Said I was a freak and queer."

"Yikes. That is some… pretty harsh stuff."

"And last night, he said he would have threatened to contact the Rescue Ethics Department if things were different. Those guys are the worst!"

"What's wrong with them?"

"Ugh! They take away bots who are considered unethical according to our culture and jobs and, depending on the severity, they're never seen again. Once, back when I was a firefighter on Cybertron, my team and I responded to a space craft fire and we found… we found a mech. He had burns over 90% of his body and his… his… _parts_ were gone! Everyone was shocked he was still alive and we did everything we could to keep him that way. A-as we transported him to the hospital he kept repeating 'Rescue ethics, rescue ethics, rescue ethics.' The hospital was unable to save him. I ran his identifying marks. He was one of us. A firefighter. He was taken by the Rescue Ethics Department because he was ousted as gay and… and he was punished for what he couldn't control."

"Y-you left Cybertron after that?"

"Well, I signed up to be a Rescue Bot a couple weeks later. I heard that lots of bots who were in the closet took off-planet jobs. But, I soon found out that it was just a rumor. Sometimes, I felt like… taking my life and letting my creators know why in a letter."

"Don't say stuff like that. Killing someone for being different—here in America—is considered a hate crime."

They arrived at the firehouse and Kade got the dog food out of Heatwave.

Heatwave transformed. "Thanks for telling me that stuff… it really helped me… a lot."

"Hey, anytime," Kade said.

Xxx

Chief Burns and Chase were driving to get some take out for the team.

"So, I hear that Heatwave had a crush on you," Chief said.

"Ugh. Disgusting, correct?" Chase asked.

"Oh, uh, Chase, you can't say things like that. It's pretty offensive. And, besides, he knows that you and Chroma are dating."

"He got over his crush on me after Rotors was done with him."

Chief winced a bit. "Chase, I think Heatwave needs emotional support. Did you ask him about his crush?"

"Yes. And he told me exactly when it started."

"Chase, you could have really hurt him. Did you consider that?"

Chase's optics widened a bit. "N-no. I did not."

"I think you owe him an apology."

Xxx

Chief and Cody walked backstage of the dog show.

"Looks like they've already started. Better get up there, son," Chief said.

"I don't think 'sit' and 'stay' are going to work, boy. But, it'll be fun," Cody told Buster.

"And I'm proud of you, Cody."

K-9 walked up to them with a bible in his mouth. "I am so ready for our act! Oh, and the others are here, too."

" _Chroma, Blades, First Aid, and their partners are back at the firehouse,"_ Heatwave said over the comm.

"Alright, then. Chase, did you apologize, yet?" Chief asked.

"I… I did," Chase said. "But… it came out… worse."

"And here's our contestants!" Prescott said. "The mayor's wife, Mrs. Lusky and her dog Poopsie, Francine Greene with Aristotle and Edison, Priscilla Pynch and her state-of-the-art robodog, Wi-Fido—cute—and Mrs. Neederlander and… her.. Cat? Mr.…. Pettypaws."

Jackie, with her hair dyed blue, walked onto stage carrying K-9. "I gave the okay."

"Looks like we have a couple of late entries—Cody Burns and his dog, Buster, and Jacqueline Morici with K-9, the police dog. Say, what happened to his leg?"

"One of the bots accidently stepped on him."

"Okay, how about you two go first so he can get some rest?"

Jackie put K-9 down and took out the bible. "Has anyone ever googled 'dogs swearing' before?"

The audience said 'no'.

Jackie knelt down with the bible. "This is what you might find."

K-9 pulled his most serious face and put his left paw on the book.

The audience chuckled a bit.

"That's it! Bye!" Jackie picked up K-9 and left.

Xxx

Poopsie jumped out of her purse, onto a giant beach ball, walked on the ball around the stage, and hopped back into the purse.

Xxx

"Showtime!" Frankie said.

Her dogs juggled the ball on their noses.

Xxx

Priscilla just showed off her robot dog.

Xxx

Cody tried a few tricks with Buster. None worked.

"And now Mrs. Neederlander and Mr. Pettypaws will perform their famous 'Jump Through Fire' trick," Huxley said. "I'm… not sure which one of them does the actual jumping, but…"

The already lit fire ring tripped on the board and lit the stage.

The rescue team got everybody out in an as orderly as possible manner.

"I think that's everybody, Dad," Dani said.

"But, where's Frankie?" Cody asked.

Heatwave ran in with the human in his hands.

First Aid scanned her to make sure she was okay.

"Poopsie! She's still in there!" Mrs. Lusky realized. "Someone rescue my Poopsie!"

" _That's my cue!"_ Buster ran into the tent.

"Buster!" Cody called out.

"Fire-bot save those dogs!" Chief ordered.

Buster ran out as Heatwave approached the tent.

Mrs. Lusky hugged her toy dog as Cody petted Buster.

"Your dog deserves a medal," she said. "and I'll make sure my husband gives him one."

"Fire has been extinguished," robot Heatwave said.

Priscilla walked over to Cody and Buster. "Not bad… for a mutt. How much do you want for him?"

"Sorry, he's not for sale," Cody said.

Priscilla angrily left.

"Yeah, I'd go with a real dog for this case," T.J. said.

The crowd left.

"I don't get it. He can't do tricks but then he pulls off that rescue," Kade said.

Buster did a backflip, much to the team's amusement.

"Okay, this is weird," Heatwave said.

"Perhaps, Buster has been preprogrammed to do tricks whenever he hears a certain word, such as…" Chase trailed when Chroma picked up a stick and threw it.

"Rescue!" she said.

Buster retrieved the stick.

"Well, I guess we figured it out," Boulder said.

"He's been trained as a R-E-S-C-U-E dog?" T.J. asked.

Raychel gave him a look.

"What?" T.J. asked.

"Maybe you'd like to join our team until we find yours," Heatwave petted Buster.

Buster licked his finger in agreement, causing Heatwave to laugh.

Xxx

Heatwave was trying to get into a recharge, but was having some problems. He'd been having them ever since Chase's reaction to the crush.

He got out of his berth and walked into the bunker where Chase was watching a British crime show.

"Hello, Heatwave," Chase said. "Would you care to join me?"

Heatwave sat next to him.

"A-are you still mad at me?" Chase asked.

"You're lucky I haven't reported you to Optimus Prime yet," Heatwave said.

"I have something for you."

"What? Another attempt to hook up with me as an apology?!"

"No! I misworded that phrase! I'm actually giving you this," Chase handed Heatwave a puppy.

Heatwave started to coo the puppy.

"Jackie says she's up for adoption and the team can adopt her after we find Buster's owner," Chase said.

"Aww! She's adorable! I'm still mad at you, though!"

"That is understandable, and for that I am sorry. What do you want to name her?"

"Sparkler."

Xxx

A couple of days later, the Burnses met their bots in the garage to go to an emergency.

"Rescue Bots—and rescue dog—roll to the rescue!"

"So, you and Chase are…?" Kade asked.

"Getting along again. Slowly."

They got to the scene.

"Kids, close off those streets and get everybody out of the way!" Chief ordered. "Heatwave, you know what to do!"

Heatwave, Chase, and Boulder drove up to stop the semi-truck.

Heatwave got out his foam cannon.

"Shoot it in the right front axle," Boulder said. "It should stop."

Heatwave aimed and fired.

"I meant on my signal," Boulder said as the truck began to flip over.

"Oh… let's catch it!" Heatwave ordered.

The three caught it but a wheel got loose and was heading to a newspaper stand.

"Mr. Hunter, move!" Ally said as she and Chroma showed up.

Buster helped Mr. Hunter get to safety when the tire struck the stand.

Dani went to check on him.

Graham picked up a newspaper with Buster's face on it. "Cody, you might want to see this. It's from the mainland."

"Buster?" Cody said in disbelief.

"Looks like he was lost at sea during a rescue on the way back to the mainland," Raychel said as she and her twin looked at the paper.

"He belongs to Chief Duncan of the Coast City fire department," T.J. added.

"You know, I thought he looked familiar," Ally said. "I passed though there on my way here."

"Should've known he was a firedog," Heatwave said as he petted Buster.

"Yay! We found his owner!" Blades sheered, but then he got confused. "That's a good thing, right?"

"It is, but it can be hard to return an animal you're attached to," T.J. said.

"We went through the same thing," Raychel said.

Cody went to tell his dad.

"It's gonna be hard to give him back," Blades said. "We really bonded with him."

"We'll all miss him," Heatwave said.

"Hey, wait a minute, where'd he go?" Chroma asked as she look around.

Ally sighed. "This is why you always need to put your dogs on leashes."

Xxx

Jackie met Joyce and Ionix on their way to a construction site.

"Can I get a lift?" she asked.

Ionix opened his door. "What do you need?"

"I think I know where a missing dog is."

"Purple beret girl?" Joyce asked.

"Yeah, Priscilla. I think she stole him."

"Then I'll get my drake on for intimidation."

"You two are weird," Ionix said.

They met with the team at the site and all got out.

"Remember, Ion, incognito," Joyce said as she went a little dragon.

Jackie heard a dog whimpering and she, Cody, and Chief walked to the limo.

Wi-Fido growled at them.

"Hey! Get away from there!" Priscilla ordered.

"Release the dog and we will," Jackie said as she started to go dragon.

"Not yet," Joyce warned.

"Is there a problem, Chief?" Mayor Lusky asked.

"I hope is just a misunderstanding, Mayor, because dognapping is a pretty serious offense," Chief said.

"The air conditioning better be on," Jackie said. "You saw what Buzzsaw and I did to that car!"

"I found that dog running loose! If you can't keep him under control that's not _my_ problem," Priscilla crossed her arms.

"Please give us the dog," Joyce made her eyes more dragon and started to show her fangs and horns.

Jackie and Cody walked to the limo and Wi-Fido growled at them. Jackie started to look like a daminfurer as she growled back.

"I think it'd be best if you call off your guard dog," Chief said.

"It's just protecting family property," Priscilla tried to put the dog into puppy mode, but the nob on the remote was stuck.

"Don't get frustrated…" Joyce warned.

Priscilla threw the remote to the ground, breaking it.

Wi-Fido glitched out and began to run around, causing havoc.

"This is why I wanted to agsaber," Jackie said.

"Oh, god," Joyce facepalmed.

"Just her face. Only, like, her earlobes. She'd never wear earrings again!"

Wi-Fido knocked over a ladder which fell on the lever of a cement truck.

The rescue team began to evacuate the area.

Cody got Buster out of the limo.

More crazy shit ensued due to Wi-Fido.

"Why are you filming this?" Joyce asked Jackie.

"Miko's not gonna believe this," Jackie said.

Priscilla was chased up the structure's skeleton as Wi-Fido went after her. A bulldozer that she was previously hiding in was turned on by the glitch and driving into the skeleton.

Boulder destroyed the bulldozer.

The structure began to collapse.

Priscilla tried to escape, but the guard dog glitch was blocking her.

"Buster, rescue Priscilla!" Cody ordered.

Buster ran up the ramp and jumped at Wi-Fido, bringing them down two stories.

First Aid used his EMPs to catch Buster.

" _What the fuck is this?!"_ Buster was freaking out.

"Hello?! Is someone going to get me down?!" Priscilla asked.

"Chroma?" Ally asked.

Chroma held out her hands and Priscilla jumped into her arms. She put Priscilla down.

She walked over to Buster. "Thank you." She hugged the mutt and turned to the glitch. "You aren't worth the money."

Xxx

Cody was sadly lying in his bed.

K-9 walked in in his bipedal mode. "You okay?"

"I miss Buster," Cody said.

K-9 sat next to him. "Y'know, the team's been talking about getting a new teammate and… we're getting a new dog—"

"For real?!" Cody sat up.

"Well, don't get your hopes up. We don't know when this is going to happen, okay?"

"It is."

Xxx

" _You're moving back to the mainland? That's great news!"_ Optimus said. _"I-I'll help you move back—"_

"No, Dad," Ionix said. "Joyce and I are moving to the military base where the Rescue Bots first arrived."

" _What will your… earadicons be doing?"_

"They're with Razor and are taking shifts looking for Rotors."

Optimus sighed. _"I may have a project for you, if you're willing."_

(A/N: hmm… what will Ion be doing? And, yes, I know that this little argument between Heatwave and Chase had about Heatwave's sexuality may have been finished fast and cheesey, but it's gonna be a big thing later on in season three.)


	32. Changes

Chroma and Heatwave were sparring as Chase, First Aid, Blades, and Boulder went over hypothetical situations.

"Hypothetical situation number seven—you are confronted with four out-of-control horses pulling a wagon off a cliff," Chase read.

"There's a rescue we haven't had," Boulder said.

"Yet," Blades crossed his arms.

"Do you—"

First Aid cut Chase off. "Call Jackie or use mu EMPs."

"Let me finish, please. Do you 'a', call the sheriff, 'b', unhitch the wagon, or—"

"'C', stop reading that book," Heatwave said.

Chroma karate kicked him in the gut and got him in a headlock and managed to body slam him. "'D', pay attention and be aware of your surroundings."

"Heatwave, I am trying to make sure we are aware of any rescue eventuality," Chase said.

"We've handled plenty of weird emergencies. It'd take plenty to faze our team," Heatwave said.

"To be honest, I kinda agree with Chase on this one. Maybe, we can use our own virtual reality-training program. I bet Brains would be happy to program one," Chroma said.

An alarm, different from the emergency alarm, began to blare.

"Guess Optimus wants to talk with us about something urgent," First Aid said.

Xxx

"Optimus Prime, sir. Rescue Force Sigma 17 awaiting orders," Heatwave saluted.

" _This mission is for you alone, Heatwave. You have proven yourself ready for a new responsibility. It is time you grew into the leader you were meant to be,"_ Optimus said.

"Thank you, sir, but my team—"

" _Will remain on Griffin Rock while you meet me at a secret mainland facility where Ionix and Joyce are located. Come immediately. I will send coordinates."_

"But, sir, I—"

The transmission ended.

Heatwave turned to his worried team.

"Consider our team fazed," Blades said.

"Don't worry. You're probably just getting further training," Chroma said.

"Like what? Getting over my past?" Heatwave asked.

"Maybe weapons based on your career."

Xxx

Heatwave and his team walked up to Chief Burns, who was putting the painting of his grandfather down.

"Chief Burns, I request a leave of absence," Heatwave said.

"Permission granted, Heatwave. What's this about?" Chief asked.

"I'm, uh, not sure, sir. I don't even know how long I'll be gone."

"When do you have to go, Heatwave?" Cody asked.

"I'm probably already late! But, hey, I might have time to take you to school today."

"We'll all come," Chief said as he picked up the painting. "I need to drop this off downtown, anyway."

Chase transformed and Chief put the painting in his trunk.

Xxx

Dr. Morocco was pondering the artificial intelligence of the Rescue Bots when he received an audio transmission.

" _Hello, human. I am in need of your services,"_ a deep static voice said.

"Who are you?" Morocco immediately asked.

" _Well, I know more about the Rescue Bots than, you, which you will find out on your own. You're smart enough. My boss wants the ambulance-bot, First Aid. It would help us a lot. Here's a number you can contact me at. Think it over."_

"Well, that was peculiar," Morocco said as he looked at the number.

Xxx

The team was at the docks with Jackie, who also had to visit the mainland with Heatwave.

"Remember, if you need me, call me on my comm," Heatwave said. "Chase, Chroma, you're in charge. Boulder, keep an eye on Cody for me. First Aid, don't be mean to Blades. Blades, don't stay up watching horror movies. I won't be around to help you hunt down zombie hampsters."

"That was one time," Blades defended.

"And hilarious," First Aid said.

"Ugh. I feel like I'm forgetting something," Heatwave said.

"Heatwave, you have prepared us for any eventuality, except, of course, the runaway wagon," Chase said, which made Chroma facepalm.

"We'll be fine," Boulder said.

"Right. But if you're not, call me on my comm," Heatwave said.

Chief took a call. "Griffin Rock's not prepared to handle that kind of weather… Team, we have a real emergency."

"Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue!" Heatwave activated his visor.

"I'll let Optimus know," Jackie got out her phone.

Xxx

The team was making sure everyone got to safety from the tornado.

"Everyone underground, now!" Kade ordered.

"Wait, Kade! Look!" Cody pointed to two kids hiding under the slide.

"Go inside, Cody. We'll take care of it."

Heatwave transformed at let Kade in. heatwave drove to the slide and Kade opened the door.

"Hey, who wants a free ride in a firetruck? Huh? Come on!" Kade gestured the kids to enter.

Ally and Chroma helped lead them to Heatwave and Kade.

"C'mon, Ally, you too," Kade helped Ally into Heatwave.

"But, what about Chroma?" Ally asked.

"We'll deal with her later."

The winds from the tornado picked up Heatwave.

"Heatwave, do something!" Kade ordered.

"I'm… trying," robot Heatwave said. He transformed and grabbed the slide.

Chroma used her grabbling hook to anchor herself aa she grabbed Heatwave's torso.

Jackie, who had injected herself with new CAN, used her tail to grab Heatwave's other arm and dug her claws into the ground.

Xxx

"I know I'm no meteorologist, but shouldn't we be flying AWAY from the tornado?! Blades asked.

"Actually, we need to get a lot closer. When we're directly above it, we'll drop this—the Tornadont," Doc Greene picked up what looked like a giant pill "—my own personal invention. In the tornado, this canister will explode, changing the storm's particles, stopping it cold… or it should. I've been hoping to test it."

"Test it?" Dani asked.

"Don't mind if I do."

Xxx

The tornado vanished and the wind died down.

Jackie, Chroma, and Heatwave landed back on the ground.

Heatwave transformed and let the humans out.

Ally was nauseous, so Kade had to help her.

Blades let his humans out, transformed, and gave Jackie an untransmutate shot.

"It's a good thing you came through for us, Doc. That tornado would have done serious damage," Chief said.

"It's like it just appeared, without any warning," Dani said.

"That's the odd part. I'll have to look at the weather data," Doc said.

"Heatwave, you get to the mainland. You won't have to worry about us," Chroma said.

"Remember, if you need me…"

"Call you on your comm," all the bots said.

Xxx

Heatwave pulled up to the ferry. "Okay, Kade time to get out."

"U, no. I'm coming along," Kade said.

"Optimus didn't invite you."

"Well, someone has to drive. Besides, I thought old O.P. was fine with bots working with humans."

Heatwave sighed. "Fine. Just don't embarrass me, alright?"

Kade grinned.

"So, we goin' or what?" Jackie asked as she landed on top of Heatwave.

Xxx

Cody walked with K-9 into Doc's lab where his dad was.

"Hi, son. School get out early?" Chief asked.

"My teacher was pretty jumpy after the tornado," Cody said.

"And so was the rest of the faculty," K-9 added.

"Then this would knock their knee socks off," Doc said. "That storm manifested out of a clear blue sky."

"Like magic," Chief said.

"No. Like science! Didn't that blue beam remind you of something?" Cody asked.

"The weather machine!" Doc checked the security feed. "Hmm. It appears ours is still on the 'Best Left Forgotten' shelf."

"Ours? You mean there are others?" Chief asked.

"I think I've seen some in vineyards," K-9 said.

"A prototype may have been created first. Let's see," Doc checked some records. "Yes. My records show that an early type should have arrived in… 1966! But it never arrived."

"1966? Isn't that the last entry year in your great-grandpa's journal?" K-9 asked Cody.

"Yeah. It could've been on his ship. The last person on it was…"

"Doctor Morocco," Chief finished.

Xxx

"Well, this is dissatisfying. Apparently, a tornado isn't enough to cause an island-wide evacuation anymore," Morocco said. "It seems I must do something a little more _persuasive._ "

Xxx

"It's sad that us Cybertronians haven't made weather machines yet," Darksyde said.

Xxx

Heatwave pulled into the hanger and let Jackie and Kade out.

Optimus walked up to them.

"Hey, hey, O.P! What is shakin, bacon?" Kade asked.

"Don't say that," Jackie groaned.

Heatwave transformed. "Sir, my partner insisted on accompanying me on—"

"Nothing much, double dutch," Optimus said to Kade.

"Dad!" Ionix groaned from another part of the hanger.

"That goes for you, too, dude!" Jackie said.

"I, too, have been learning from humans," Optimus said. "Heatwave, I have summoned you here because I believe you are ready for the next step in Rescue Bots leadership—a third form. Preparation for your next scan will require tremendous energy and concentration, but I am certain you are prepared for the ordeal."

"Thank you, sir," Heatwave said.

"Uh… a little lost here," Kade said. "What is the ordeal exactly?"

"Look, I have two forms, right? Bot and fire truck. But, now I can scan a new vehicle turn into that as my third form."

"Oho-oh! Pick something—"

"Slow down, dude," Jackie said. "It can't just be anything. It has to be appropriate to his size and biology."

"So, he can't turn into a train? Or a jet?"

"Maybe a S.E.A.T."

"Heatwave, in order to obtain a third form you must reach into your spark and find your inner strength. I will show you a few methods," Optimus said.

Xxx

"Still can't reach Dad," Dani said. "Any luck with Heatwave?"

"No, but we still know what he would say," Blades then imitated Heatwave. "'Protect the humans'."

"Dad would tell us to follow protocol. That means getting everyone to the sanctuary caves under Mount Griffin," Graham said.

Thunder and lightning struck, scaring Blades and First Aid, the latter jumping into the former's arms.

"Heatwave would be sad he missed this," Boulder told Graham.

Xxx

"Come on, First Aid!" T.J. said.

"It wasn't Rotors!" Raychel reassured.

"No, it was!" First Aid screamed. "I-I want my mommy! I want my daddy! I need Heatwave!"

Chief Burns and Chase arrived at Jackie and Lindsy's farm. Chief exited Chase.

"What's going on?" Chief asked.

"First Aid thought he saw Rotors in a lightning flash," Lindsy said.

Brains and Wheelie walked out of the barn with a mini-Frankensteined communication satellite with a pole on a red wagon.

Brains turned on the satellite. "Try your comm."

"Chroma, First Aid believes that he saw Rotors and is refusing to leave the barn's bunker," Chase said.

" _Stay with him, Chase. Right now, that's the best thing for him."_

"Well, let's go," Emerald transformed, let the humans and pretender in, and left.

Xxx

Kade and Jackie got startled by the noise Heatwave's spark made.

"Whoa! Is he supposed to do that?" Kade asked.

"Yes. It is a normal part of the energy-focusing process," Optimus said.

"Dad, check this out. When Jackie got spooked, the blood we previously took from her transmutated, too!" Ionix showed him the results.

"That is interesting."

"If anything happens to him…" Kade looked at Heatwave.

"Your concern does you justice. I can see why Heatwave cherishes your partnership."

"He—he said that?"

"Not in so any words."

Heatwave groaned and held his head as he sat up. "I feel like Boulder ran me over."

"You're gonna be fine, buddy," Kade said.

"Buddy?! Did something happen to me while I was out?"

Optimus helped Heatwave up.

"Heatwave, you have successfully focused your energy for a re-scan. I am impressed. Very few succeed on their first attempt," Optimus said.

"Thank you, sir. Oh!" Heatwave almost fell, but Optimus and Jackie caught him.

"Easy. You will be weak for a while, but you can scan whatever vehicle is right for you."

"Her blood did it again! This is crazy!" Ionix said. "I want one as a pet!"

"Ionix, you have one as a partner."

Xxx

Rotors walked into the surveillance room where Darksyde was.

"Sir! You shouldn't be out of bed," Darksyde said.

"How are we on getting First Aid?" Rotors asked with a wheeze.

"I have enlisted a human to give him to us. He almost knows of our existence," Darksyde showed Rotors the live feed of Dr. Morocco entering the firehouse.

"I better get him by the time I recover!"

"You will. You will," Darksyde carried Rotors to his quarters.

Xxx

Chief and about all of the civilians were in the sanctuary caves when Dani, Graham, and their bots arrived.

"Thank goodness you're safe!" Chief said.

"Hey, where's Chase?" Dani asked.

"With First Aid at the barn," T.J. said.

"Long story," Raychel added.

"Better get the rest of the team. Doc found the coordinates of the weather machine," Chief said. "We'll take the _Darby Ava_."

"Chief, I'm not sure all of us will be able to go," Ally said. "Chroma's worn out just from driving here."

"Tell your bot to go to the barn bunker and stay here with K-9."

Xxx

"Careful, team. This isn't swimming weather," Chief said as they prepared to board.

"Chief, I know you have a thing about cursing, but there are fucking tornadoes coming our way!" Lindsy pointed.

A tornado passed between the dock and the boat, causing the _Darby Ava_ to catch fire.

"Quick! Bucket brigade!" Graham ordered.

They extinguished the fire.

The _Ava_ was unusable.

"Quick thinking, Graham," Chief said.

"Something tells me we're gonna have to think a lot quicker!" Blades said as more fire tornadoes popped up.

"I'll try to contact Razor. Maybe she can help us," Lindsy said.

"Oh, man. We sure picked the worst day to lose our firefighters," Dani said.

"I blame Prime for this," Emerald crossed her arms.

Xxx

Heatwave, Kade, and Jackie were on the ferry when Kade saw something in the distance.

"Uh, guys? Does that look like smoke to you?" he asked.

"Better call Chief just in case," Heatwave got static. "Ugh. Can't get a signal."

Kade got out. "Captain Shaw, is something wrong?"

"Aye. I cannot reach the harbor master by phone or radio and the dock is covered in flames," Captain Shaw said.

"Can't this rust bucket go any faster?"

"In this weather?! Ever heard of natural selection via stupidity?" Jackie asked.

"And this part of the ocean is a ship graveyard. We put on any speed and we'll join 'em," Captain Shaw pulled up a picture of the graveyard to show Kade. He then went into the ferry's cabin.

"Ugh. Some leader I am," Heatwave said. "Stuck out here when my team needs me the most."

"I'll see if I can help. Catch!" Jackie said as tossed Kade a walkie-talkie before going T1.

"Wait, Jackie. I have a better idea," Heatwave pointed at the screen.

"A swamped fireboat? You're kidding, right? How is that thing gonna help us?" Kade asked.

"By scanning it!" Jackie said as she went back to normal. "Right size and biology."

Heatwave transformed, let the humans in, transformed again, and dove into the water. He swam to the boat and scanned it.

"Wait, this could get cramped," Jackie said.

"That is a four-person—OMG! That's a dead guy!" Kade shouted.

Heatwave transformed into the boat and popped back up on the ocean surface. "Ugh, that felt weird." He tried to drive—or steer—or boat.

"Whoa, Heatwave—can't you drive in a straight line?!"

"I'm still getting used to this. You change into a boat and see how you do." _**HONK!**_ "Well, that's the horn, let's see what this one does."

"Kade, you know how to drive this model?" Jackie asked.

"I saw a used one on eBay once," Kade said. "Why? Are you?"

Jackie showed them a picture of her driving a similar sea vessel. "Bulkhead was thinking about turning into a boat, so I took lessons. Heatwave, cool if I take over?"

"Sure," Heatwave said.

"You. Backseat!" Jackie grunted as she flipped Kade into the back seat.

"Hey, what did I say about going dragon?"

"Shut up and figure out how to use your hoses while I boat!"

They drove faster and smoother and Heatwave had figured out the hoses and extinguished the fire.

The team cheered as Kade and Jackie got onto Heatwave's roof.

"Kade, Jackie! Thanks for the save," Graham said.

"Jackie, di you drive that?" Lindsy asked.

"Yep!" Jackie stood up straight with pride.

"Those boating lessons really paid off."

"Speaking of which, where'd you get the boat?" Dani asked.

"This boat has a name," Heatwave said. "And you're welcome."

"Heatwave?" Boulder asked.

"How is this possible?" Chase asked.

"Clearly, I'm missing something here," Blades said.

"Heatwave, we owe you one. But now we need you to turn off the weather machine causing this. It's just east of the 49th buoy," Chief said.

"Think you can drive?" Jackie asked.

"Uh, best you do it," Heatwave said. He accidentally sprayed the rescue team. "My bad!"

They drove to the machine and Jackie helped Heatwave dodge the fire tornadoes.

"Hope you didn't eat too much, Kade!" Jackie said. "And hold onto something!"

"Um, why?" Kade asked.

"I'm going to demolition derby this bitch!" Jackie sped up.

"Ack!" Heatwave grunted as he hit the machine. "Yep. Going to feel that tomorrow."

The skies cleared of the storm.

"Hey! I like this new form! What do you guys think?" Heatwave asked.

"I like the feeling in my tummy!" Jackie chirped.

"I don't!" Kade started to turn green.

Jackie cut back on the sped and rolled down a window. "Better?"

Xxx

"So, how exactly does re-scanning work?" Blades asked Heatwave. "Say, hypothetically, a bot wanted a ground mode."

"It wasn't easy. I needed Optimus' permission and I'm still tired, even with his help," Heatwave yawned. "Jackie can help you. I'm gonna take a nap."

"What makes you think I was talking about me?"

Chief walked in with the painting.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Cody asked.

"Frame shop found something in the frame. A camera," Chief showed them the tiny camera with a familiar logo.

"Whoa," Kade said. "Morocco was spying on us?"

"How much do you think he saw?" Cody asked.

"That is not our only concern," Chase said.

"He was in our classified bunker. Primus knows what he took," Chroma said.

"I hope we don't end up getting vivisected," K-9 said.

"One creep in my life was bad enough," First Aid shuttered.

"I know we have a 'don't hurt humans' rule, but he is so road kill for putting First Aid through this!" Chroma pounded her fists.

Xxx

Dr. Morocco was setting up a video meeting with three clients: Madeline Pynch, M.E.C.H., and the mystery caller.

(A/N: so, yeah, my oc know how to drive a boat. The dead person in the sunken ship was a joke between me and my friend when we saw this episode together. Some of the methods Optimus showed Heatwave for energy concentrating can also help him with any panic attacks.)


	33. Movers and Shakers

Boulder, Emerald, Cody, and Graham were planting Leafy in the park.

"Welcome to your new home, Leafy," Boulder said. "Now you'll have room to spread your roots and grow big and tall."

"And here's some fresh fertilizer," Emerald said. "Fresh from the farm."

"Do you think he'll be lonely?"

"We can come back to visit any time, Boulder," Graham said.

"Plus, after today, Leafy will have tons of friends," Cody said as he gestured to other trees to be planted and the mayor getting ready to give a speech.

"Griffin Rock's 'Plant a Tree Day' promises to be better than ever," Lusky said.

"Because this year he won't give a three-hour speech?" Dani jokingly asked Kade.

"Heh, yeah," Kade said.

"Thanks to my wisdom and, uh, your tax dollars, I present this town's newest tech—" Lusky gestured to a red and yellow wrench-shaped machine "—the Power Planter! With this machine doing the dirty work, we can keep our hand clean for more important things."

"What's not important about spending time with nature?" Boulder asked.

Lusky turned the machine on.

The Power Planter scanned the area, found the to-be planted trees, dug underground, and planted the trees.

"Wow. It would've taken us hours to plant them!" Graham said.

"Uh, we agriculturalists actually prefer to get our hands dirty," Emerald said. "Although, Jackie's Stall Cleaner is pretty good."

"It takes a living thing to care for other living things," Boulder said.

"Today on 'I Dare Me', I'm with the town's new Power Planter," Huxley said to his camera. "My notes say it's programmed to avoid ALL heat sources. Let's find out."

Jackie got out an auto-popcorn, pressed the button, opened the bag and shared with Abby.

Huxley got in the line of to-be-planted trees. The Planter popped up, scanned him, and avoided him.

"There you have it, folks. 100% safe," Huxley said. "And a very short episode."

The sky rumbled.

"Mr. Mayor, can we wrap this up?" Chief Burns asked. "Looks like a storms on the way."

"Oh, relax, Chief. Trees love rain," Lusky said.

The Power Planter popped back up and got struck by lightning. It started to glitch out.

"Run for cover!" Chief said and everyone dispersed.

The Planter started ripping up plants and managed to throw a tree at the podium where Chief and the mayor were.

Jackie went dragon and caught the tree before getting Abby to safety.

Heatwave tried to grab the Planter, but it went underground.

"Off! Ugh! Turn off!" Lusky looked at the remote. "Does this thing need new batteries already?"

The Planter dug under the stage to some parked cars and threw and engine block.

First Aid caught it with his EMPs when lightning struck him, too. "AAUGH!" he collapsed on the ground.

"Unh! Better get to safety, Mayor," Chief said as he dodged a small tree.

"Well, if you're sure you don't need me, Chief," Lusky hightailed it out of there.

"Dani, Kade, clear the area. Graham, see if you can manually turn of that Planter."

Graham gasped as the Planter began to chase him. "I need back up."

"Hey, crab-hands! Plant this!" Heatwave picked up the Planter and threw it.

The Planter just tunneled back underground.

The bots tried to get it, but it threw more plant matter.

"Leafy!" Boulder dove and caught his plant. "Maybe you're not ready for the outdoors, yet. It's dangerous out here."

Xxx

Heatwave walked back into the sick bay. "Blades, any update on First Aid?"

"He's in normal stasis recharge," Blades said. "He should wake up in a little bit."

"Keep an optic on him. And keep your guard up. Remember how he gets when he's scared around hovers."

"Do I ever."

Xxx

"I think I see what happened with the Power Planter," Graham told the human half of the team. "If the lightning had struck anywhere else, it would have simply shut off the machine. But the blast struck here—" he gestured around the diagram's CPU "—compromising its CPU."

"And that is?" Kade asked.

"The system's Achilles heel."

"Which actually means less to me."

"It made it go crazy," Ally said. "The CPU's basically its brain."

"Wait, didn't lightning strike First Aid in the head?" T.J. asked.

"I did see scorch marks on his head," Raychel said.

"Great, now we're gonna have TWO crazy machines!" Kade threw up his hands.

"Maybe the Planter will stay underground," Cody said.

"It's a high probability," Graham said.

"Now we just wait for First Aid to become a serial killer," Kade said.

T.J. took off his shoe and shoved it in Kade's face.

"Ugh! Gross, man!" Kade tried to get the shoe away.

"We'll keep an eye on the park for a few days," Chief said. "With any luck, we've seen the last of that thing."

Xxx

The bots gathered around the First Aid's stasis pod.

"Okay, First Aid, time for you to wake up!" Blades cheered as he turned off stasis.

First Aid groaned as he stumbled out of stasis into Heatwave's arms.

"You okay?" the fire-bot asked.

First Aid glared at him before punching him in the face.

"First Aid!" Chroma exclaimed.

"Heatwave, you all right?" Boulder helped their leader up.

First Aid stormed out of sick bay and into his room.

"What was THAT about?!" Blades asked.

"Perhaps he has CPU damage," Chase suggested.

"You mean from the lightning strike? We better contact Razor," Chroma said.

Heatwave rubbed his jaw. "Do it."

Xxx

Cody came into the bunker to get the basketball and saw Heatwave with a cool pack to his jaw.

"What happened?" Cody asked.

"Remember when First Aid got electrocuted? Scrambled his CPU and he socked me one," Heatwave said.

"Are you sure he wasn't grumpy?"

"No, he usually takes it out on Blades. Did you see if the lightning struck his head? We couldn't find a mark."

"Raychel said she thought she saw some scorch marks."

"Young mech, get back here!" Ratchet followed First Aid to Heatwave's punching dummy. "You need a head-to-toe body scan!"

"No, I need to defend myself for the next Rotors incident!" First Aid started punching the dummy. "No fragging way Heatwave will be able to."

"Hey!" Heatwave stood up.

"You're pathetic," First Aid kicked the dummy. "And your plan could've—"

"Cody, go upstairs!"

"Okay," Cody went to the elevator.

"Plan? What plan?" Ratchet asked.

"When Blades got 'napped, Heatwave said I should go with Rotors to save Blades and to stall while Brains hacked the ship so Razor and Air Raid could come get and arrest Rotors," First Aid crossed his arms. "And look what that got him."

"What?!" Ratchet shouted. "What the frag were you thinking?! Rotors could have VIOLATED him! Are-are you a glitch head?!"

"First Aid isn't the only victim here!" Heatwave choked out. "A-and I don't like talking about it."

"Hey! Everybody, at ease!" Razor said as she entered the bunker. "Heatwave, go upstairs. Ratchet, help me with First Aid's scan."

"I don't need one. I feel better than ever," First Aid said.

"We just want to make sure you are. Have you been taking your medicine?"

"I am."

"Well, you've been cranky and I think that something may have happened to you what the lighting struck you. It's just a little checkup."

First Aid groaned. "Fine. I'll get the scan."

Xxx

"Yo, Heatwave, are you okay?" Kade asked.

"Yeah, you seem a little… distant," Dani said.

"First Aid and I had some words," Heatwave said. "And they opened some old wounds."

"Slow down, Mayor. Your backyard has been overrun by _what_ kind of animals?" Chief asked into his phone.

"Uh, maybe those kind of animals," Cody pointed at some normally underground animals running past.

"If that's a migration pattern, it's a strange one," Dani said.

"Especially since those animals don't normally migrate," Graham said.

Chief had several more calls about rouge critters. "Better get your bots, team. Apparently, Noah's Ark just docked in Griffin Rock."

"If it's something to do," Heatwave said.

Xxx

Chase and Chief were trying to catch a groundhog.

"Does his startled response mean six more weeks of winter, sir?" Chase asked when the groundhog got scared of him and hid underground.

"I believe groundhogs have to be afraid of their _own_ shadow, Chase," Chief said. "Let's round 'em up."

They tried to catch them, but it was more like Whack-a-Mole.

Chief laughed a bit. "This is just like that game at the arcade."

"I assure you, sir. I am driving no amusement from this," Chase said. A groundhog then climbed from his shoulder to his forearm. "Perhaps a little." He chuckled a bit.

Xxx

"Where'd you say the porcupine was, Cody?" Graham asked into his comm.

A bounce house the deflated.

"Never mind," Graham said. He backed up as it walked to him. "Uh. I'll let you handle this one, bud." He said to Boulder.

"Not a problem," Boulder picked up the porcupine, which flexed it's spines. "Aw. It likes me."

"Sure. That's what that is."

Xxx

"So, what are we looking for again?" Heatwave asked Cody. "Badgers?"

"We don't need no stinkin' badgers," Kade joked.

They then saw two badgers eating fruits, which the badgers threw at them.

"Ugh! So you wanna play dirty, huh?" Kade lunged at the badgers, but fell into more fruit.

Kade chase them down the sidewalk, around the corner, tripped, and slipped into a pipe.

"Gah! Heatwave, I'm stuck!"

"I'll get you out," Heatwave walked to the other end of the pipe. "You might want to hold your nose."

"Why?"

Heatwave put his hand on the other end.

"No, no, no! WAIT!" Kade screamed as the water shot him out.

"Hey, at least you're clean, right?" Heatwave walked over to Kade. "Wait, are you okay?" he poked Kade.

Kade coughed up water and groaned. "What were you thinking?! I could've died!"

Xxx

"Ratchet, don't hold it at that end!" T.J. shouted.

"Why?" Ratchet asked as he picked up another skunk.

"You're gonna—"

The skunk sprayed Ratchet in the face.

"AAAHH!" he dropped the skunks and started clawing at his face.

"Get sprayed…" the twins trailed.

Xxx

Chroma and Ally had relative ease taking care of some star nosed moles.

Xxx

"I still don't understand," Blades said as he and Dani left the mayor's. "Isn't submerging yourself in hot water sort of like making soup of yourself?"

"It's called a hot tub, Blades, and if you don't get that, then please don't ask me to explain saunas," Dani said.

"Actually, Cybertron had something like that. It was a popular way that fire-bots relaxed," Blades then whispered, "They're kinda weird like that."

" _I heard you!"_ Heatwave said.

Xxx

" _Okay, Cody,"_ Dani said. _"The mayor's yard is clear of critters. What's next?"_

"Let's see," Cody then noticed a cockroach crawling across the screen.

"Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!" K-9 attacked the invading roaches with a broom and closed the open window.

Blades used his downdraft to clear the outside of the firehouse of bugs.

" _All clear, Cody,"_ Dani said. _"Those bugs will be a lot happier on the ground."_

"But, why did they leave in the first place?" Cody asked.

Xxx

"Thanks, Virginia," Chief put down his phone. "The zookeepers and animal control are releasing the animals back to the wild. Hopefully, this time they'll stay there."

Cody listed off the animals. "They have to have something in common."

"Yeah, they all ruined my day," Kade said.

"Well, each of the species can live in underground burros and nests," Graham said.

"Underground! That's where the Power Planter went!" Cody said.

"You think it scared them out of their homes?" Dani asked.

"How? By planting trees in them?" Kade asked.

"With the machine's programming fried, it's acting unpredictable," Graham said.

"We need to find that planter before it does something dangerous," Chief said.

Xxx

Razor walked over to the other bots. "I have good news. First Aid's going to be just fine."

"Wh-what's wrong with him?" Heatwave asked.

"That lightning strike messed up his personality cortex, but don't worry, it's not forever."

"When will he start acting like himself again?" Ratchet asked.

"He'll be fine in a few days."

"C-can we talk to him?" Heatwave asked.

"And, to be honest, he scares me more now! Will he kill me?" Blades asked.

"He may be a bit aggressive, but you should be able to talk with him, but be wary of what you say to him," Razor said.

First Aid walked out of the Sigma with a few video games. "Anyone wanna play?"

The bots all looked at each other nervously.

"Blades and I'll play," Chroma said.

"S-sure," Blades said.

 _"Team, we found the Power Planter. We need all hands-on deck!"_ Chief said.

"You guys go. I'll watch First Aid," Razor said.

Xxx

The team showed up after Blades. Chroma helped him up off the ground and let Dani out.

"Don't worry, Mayor, we'll deal with that Power Planter," Kade said. "Uh… where is it?"

"Ugh. Underground again," Dani said.

"Then can somebody get me down?" Lusky asked.

Ratchet grabbed him and put him down.

"Hey! Careful!" the mayor adjusted his toupe.

"Sorry, our regular bot's getting a virus check," T.J. said.

"It looks like the inside of the mayor's water heater's gone," Chief said after Lusky went back inside.

"A violation of code 651A, in an elected official's own backyard," Chase said. "Just when you think you have seen everything."

"From looks of the pincer marks on the metal, I'd say the Power Planter's out there." Graham said.

"Strange that it would be _drawn_ to a heat source," Boulder said.

" _Or not at all,"_ Cody said.

"What makes you say that, Cody?" Chief asked.

" _There's a pattern. So far, we've seen the Power Planter tear up trees, instead of planting them. Now, it's going after heat sources instead of away from them. It's doing the opposite of what it's supposed to."_

"Kinda like First Aid," Chroma said.

"Except it won't wear off," Ratchet said.

"Now we can find it if we observe the island's heat sources," Boulder said.

"The island's full of heat sources," Heatwave said.

"Yeah, how do we know it's not under us right now?" Kade asked.

Blades whimpered in fear.

"Wouldn't Boulder be able to detect it with his sonar?" Dani asked.

"It doesn't work well on moving objects. But we could track its movements with a seismograph," Boulder said.

"That's a—"

"I know what a seismograph is… sorta," Kade said.

"Cody, pull up a map of the warmest locations," Chief said into his comm. "The Power Plater's bound to show up at one. We'll split up and watch."

" _I'll help with Jackie,"_ K-9 said.

Xxx

Blades and Dani were at one of the island's local farms.

"I can feel the heat from here, and if I can feel it the Planter can feel it, and if the Planter can feel it—"

"Blades, just watch your seismograph," Dani said.

The seismograph started to beep.

"I think I got something!" Blades said. "I got something!"

" _What is it?"_ Boulder asked.

"It's huge! Oh, no, it's multiplied! Wait, those might be cows."

The cows across the street lowed.

"Yep. It's cows," Blades said. (A/N: I laughed _so_ hard!)

Xxx

Ratchet and the twins were watching Jackie and Lindsy's farm.

"Hmm. Odd," Ratchet looked at Jackie's Stall Cleaner and started to poke it.

" _Hey, T.J., I'm forwarding a call from Team Prime to you,"_ First Aid said.

" _Hey, Doc Bot! What's up?"_ Miko asked.

"We're looking for crazy tech at Jackie's house," Raychel said.

"Yeah, there's some tech attacking heat sources, so we're watching her farm," T.J. said.

They heard an explosion and Ratchet screaming.

"Not again! This is the second time something gross exploded in my face today!" Ratchet started to gag and retch.

" _What was that?"_ Arcee asked.

"Jackie's Stall Cleaner just blew up in Ratchet's face," T.J. said.

Miko and Bulkhead started to laugh.

"Um, is there someone who knows how to clean up transformer vomit?" Raychel asked.

" _I'll send some guys over,"_ Agent Fowler said.

Xxx

Heatwave and Kade were at the hot springs.

"Yep, this is totally where the Planter's gonna show up," Kade said.

"How can you be so sure?" Heatwave asked.

"Well, that thing's looking for heat, right? Well, the hottest thing on the island is right here!" Kade pointed at himself with a smug look on his face.

"Ew," Heatwave looked away. He looked at the hot springs. "That looks kinda relaxing, to be honest."

"Did you NOT hear about that guy who turned into soup after hot potting?"

"What's that?"

"When people use hot springs as hot tubs. It can be very dangerous and can lead some people to being boiled to death."

Heatwave put his hand in the water. "What are you talking about? It isn't _that_ hot."

"Well, you're a Cybertronian!"

Xxx

Chief Burns and Chase were at the campgrounds when the Power Planter arrived.

"Stay alert, everyone. We're getting a reading over here," Chief said.

The Planter pulled down a fire and everyone ran away when it popped up out of the hole it made.

"Chase! Grab the Planter!" Chief ordered.

Chase got in front of the Planter. "Cease and desist all gardening activities!"

The Planter launched itself at him and chase caught it. It attempted to drill him.

"Ack! You are assaulting an officer of the law!" Chase groaned in pain as sparks flew.

"Don't worry, love! I got you!" Chroma arrived with Ally, Jackie, and Abby. She shot at the Planter… but the Planter dodged and Chase was shot in the chest.

"I am alright!" Chase said before passing out.

The Planter started throwing trees again and Chroma and Jackie shot and caught them. It tunneled back underground and stole a flashlight that was dropped by one of the campers.

Xxx

"Aw, scrap!" K-9 said when he turned on the news.

"Dad, a new heat source just popped up," Cody said. "There's a barbecue going on at the school."

" _Call the school and warn them,"_ Chief said. _"Ally and Chroma are trailing the Planter now."_

"Got it, Dad," Cody tried to call the school. "Come on, somebody pick up."

"Well, calling Huxley's a bad idea," K-9 said.

"There has to be a way to warn them."

First Aid tapped the glass. "Can I help?"

Xxx

Razor was sitting in the bots' command center.

" _Cody, we lost the Planter,"_ Ally said. " _Can you find it on any of the cameras?"_

"Cody isn't here, but I can help," Razor said. She checked the cameras. "Wait… First Aid!" she quickly searched the bunker. "Oh, no!"

Xxx

K-9, Cody, and First Aid drove to the school.

First Aid saw the Power Planter pop its head out of the ground and start tunneling.

"Guys, hold on!" he swerved hard, but the Planter popped up and burst his right rear tire.

He transformed, ejecting his passengers.

K-9 shook himself off and helped Cody up.

"First Aid, what the—"

"Frag?!" Cody finished K-9's thought.

"Well, ex _cu_ se me—ow!" First Aid yelped as the Planter grabbed his right ankle. "Why you—" he tried to use his EMPs to rip it off but they didn't activate.

The Planter started to pull him down.

"Help! Help! Get help!" he dug his fingers into the road as he was being pulled down.

"Dad! The Planter's got First Aid! He's being dragged underground!" Cody said.

" _Razor's on her way to you now! We'll be there soon,"_ Chief said.

First Aid yelped as he disappeared underground.

Cody and K-9 just looked in shock for 30 seconds.

"Um, Chief? What's the plan for underground bot retrieval?" K-9 asked.

Xxx

First Aid kept clawing at the sides of the tunnel as the Planter dragged him.

He screamed as the Planter continued to pull him as he got stuck.

The Planter left.

"This is just great!" First Aid buried his face in the ground.

Xxx

"Boulder, stop here," Graham said. "According to the seismograph, First Aid should be passing through right here." He pointed at a spot on the ground.

Boulder used his sonar to check. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." He started to walk away from the town.

"But—"

"HELLO?!" came First Aid's muffled voice. "CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?!"

"It takes a living thing to care for other living things," Boulder said as he started to dig the medic out.

Razor, Chase, K-9, Chief, and Cody arrived.

"Everyone okay?" Chief asked.

Boulder ripped First Aid out of the ground.

"I think I need to go back into healing stasis," First Aid said.

Chief saw what the Planter did to First Aid's ankle.

"I'm done taking risks. Time to bring the heat to the Planter," Chief declared.

Xxx

The original bots were near one of Griffin Rock's canyons.

Boulder handed them Boil-Coils.

"Doc Greene made these Boil-Coils to super-heat water," Graham said.

"When we turn them on, we'll be perfect bait," Boulder said.

"Why do _I_ have Boil-Coil? I'm air-support," Blades said.

"Because not all of us have cabins," Chroma said as she and Razor arrived.

"Remember to keep your firearm on 'stun'," Razor said.

"All the heat sources in town have been shut off," Chief told the team. "Time to activate the Boil-Coils."

The bots had the coils in their cabins when Chief activated them remotely.

"Ooh. I'm all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Well, more warm than fuzzy," Blades said.

"This must be what Chief means when he complains of—ugh!—heartburn," Chase said.

"Uh! I prefer EXTERNAL heat!" Heatwave said. "That Planter better show up fast!"

"Dad, I'm getting a reading," Graham said as he looked at the seismograph.

"Alright, we're a go," Chief said.

Razor helped the humans into a tree for their safety.

Chroma saw the Planter tunneling. "Either that's a big gopher or…"

"Initiate Phase One!" Chief said.

"Let's uproot this Planter!" Heatwave said.

The bots spread themselves out a bit.

The Planter popped up, selected Blades, and went after him.

Blades panicked, transformed, and flew.

"V-formation! Vehicle mode!" Heatwave ordered.

The bots did so and followed their leader.

" _Ready for Phase Two, Dad,"_ Cody said as Razor and Chroma got into position.

"Chase, Boulder. Fall back! We're turning off your coils… now!" Chief said.

Chase and Boulder pulled off to the sides.

"Get him, Heatwave!" Boulder said.

"Bring that scoundrel to justice!" Chase said.

"With pleasure," Heatwave growled.

He drove off the cliff, transformed, and grabbed Blades' winch.

The femmes shot at the Planter as it shot out of the cliff.

The Planter broke into pieces when it hit the canyon floor.

"Ha! Looks like it takes a living thing to take care of malfunctioning tech, too," Heatwave said.

"Can someone turn off these coils, now?!" Blades exclaimed.

Xxx

Boulder planted Leafy in a protective ring in the park made of the Power Planter.

"I guess it had a use after all," Graham said.

"Remember, Leafy… this isn't goodbye, it's 'see you later'," Boulder told his plant.

Mayor Lusky walk up to Chief and Cody.

"Something you need, Mr. Mayor?" Chief asked.

"I uh, yes. I-I was wondering if it's all right to use my hot tub," Lusky said.

"Well, I'd prefer my team of _experts_ check it out first, just to be sure it's safe."

"Of course. Of course."

Xxx

Most of the big bots walked to the hot springs. Why are we here, Heatwave?" Blades asked.

"To take a dip," Heatwave put down his towel and stepped into the hot springs. "Come on in, the water's fine."

The bots looked at each other, put down their towels, and entered the hot springs.

"Why are we here, Heatwave?" Blades asked.

"To take a dip," Heatwave put down his towel and stepped into the hot springs. "Come on in, the water's fine."

The bots looked at each other, put down their towels, and entered the hot springs.

"Oh, this is illegal," Chase said as he held Chroma's hand.

"This does feel nice, to be honest," Boulder said as he sunk himself in more.

"Yipe!" Blades flinched. "I-it's going under my armor!"

"You can leave anytime, Blades," Chroma said.

The medic jumped out of the water and dried off with his towel.

"This does feel pretty good," Chroma said as she cuddled next to Chase.

"Guys, look what I found!" Emerald walked over with a semi-boiled deer.

Everyone ran out screaming.

"What? It's a piebald deer!" Emerald said.


	34. Odd Bot Out

"I can't believe Bumblebee's coming back to Griffin Rock," Blades excitedly said. "This time everything's gonna be perfect for my BFF!"

"'Boyfriend forever'?" First Aid joked.

"First Aid, we've been over this. He isn't attracted to mechs," Heatwave said for the umpteenth time.

"Bot friend forever," Blades said. "Oh! Is there room on the banner for that?" he asked Dani.

"I think 'Welcome Bumblebee, Hero of the Galaxy' is plenty," Dani said.

"Blades. Optimus Prime's transmission indicated that Bumblebee will not be here for three more days," Chase said.

"Way too soon," Blades took the book Chase was reading and put it back. "I haven't even learned an instrument to play the welcome song yet."

"You're right, Heatwave," First Aid said. "He isn't gay, he's a crazy fangirl."

"Did it ever occur to you that Bumblebee might be coming here for something important?" Heatwave asked.

Visiting me _is_ important," Blades said.

"Yeah. Hah. I wouldn't break out the balloons and part hats yet."

"Here's the helium for the balloons, Blades," Cody said as he dragged in a helium canister.

"Pinkie Pie!" First Aid insulted.

"First Aid!" everyone said.

"Cody. Can you mail this for me?" Dani asked as she handed him a letter. "It has to go out today and I've kinda got my hands full here."

"Sure, sis," Cody said. "You spelled 'welcome' wrong."

Dani gasped as she turned around.

"Kidding!" Cody said as he took off.

"You better run!"

Xxx

"Whoa. Nice kicks, Frankie," Cody said as he ran into is best friend.

"They're Daddy's newest invention," Frankie said as she showed off her shoes. "Ski-Neekers. Waterski shoes."

"Now _those_ are water shoes," Jackie said as she and Wheelie walked Sir Eats Pants.

"We're going to test them today. Wanna come?"

"Absolutely!" Heatwave said as he and First Aid walked out of the firehouse. "As much fun as party planning is, it's times like these I'm glad I can turn into boat." Heatwave went from bot to boat to firetruck.

"That was completely unnecessary," First Aid said.

"Shotgun!" Jackie said as the three humans entered Heatwave and drove off.

"Oh, NOW she wants new shoes!" Wheelie said.

"What's Sir Eats Pants eating? Because it's not pants," First Aid said.

"Oh, just paper."

"Looks like a letter," First Aid's optics then widened. "Wait, DROP IT, SIR EATS PANTS! DROP IT!"

"What is it?" Wheelie ripped the letter from the goat's mouth.

"Dani says it has to go out _today_ ," First Aid took the damaged letter from Wheelie and put it in the mailbox. "It _must_ be important."

Xxx

"The science of my Ski-Neekers is simple," Doc Greene said. "The soles take in the surface water and send it out the back, creating propulsion." He put a shoe on the water, pressed the 'on' button, and caught the shoe. "Whoop! You will, in essence, be sea-skating."

The two younger kids jumped in the water and ski-skated like pros.

"Well, Jackie, what are you waiting for?" Heatwave asked.

Jackie activated the Nyaid. "Can you help me with balance?"

Heatwave sighed. "Fine."

Jackie grabbed Heatwave's side and carefully entered the water.

"This is so noble!" Cody said.

"But, THAT isn't!" Frankie pointed at a rogue wave.

Jackie panicked, had the Nyaid go aquatic, and swam away like a dolphin.

Cody and Frankie sped off.

"Hurry! We have to get back to Dad's lab!" Frankie said.

The wave was quickly gaining on them.

Luckily, Doc and Heatwave got them before the wave hit them, but they were still being chased.

"Hang on," Heatwave said. He went through the tunnel of the wave.

"Whoo-hoo!" Cody cheered when they got to safety. "When did you learn to surf, Heatwave?"

"Is THAT what it's called?"

"That and saving our lives," Frankie said.

"For which we are grateful," Doc said.

" _Doc, your lab's insured, right?"_ Jackie asked over the comm.

Xxx

"Where'd that wave come from, Doc?" Cody asked.

"The possibilities of oceanic volatility are myriad," Doc said. "I'll be able to do more comprehensive research once my equipment is repaired. Frankie, I may need to borrow your blow-dryer."

"Rice helps, too," Jackie said.

Xxx

Heatwave, Cody, and Jackie were driving back to the firehouse.

"Heatwave? You and First Aid were boyfriends, right?" Cody asked.

"Ugh. Didn't Jackie tell you?" Heatwave asked.

"Only that you were attracted to guys. Kade told me later that you were bi, and when I saw how you were acting with First Aid until around Valentine's Day, I knew you were dating and Chroma and K-9 confirmed it. Why did you break up?"

"Look… a-after—"

"They weren't mentally ready!" Jackie said. "Heatwave didn't see it, but First Aid did!"

"Really?" Cody asked. "Think you guys might get back together?"

Heatwave let out a sad sigh. "Unfortunately, I don't think it's possible. Our relationship wasn't made of love; it was made because Rotors—"

Jackie whispered: "Oh, fuck's sake, no."

"—Raped me and had molested First Aid."

Cody's face lost all its color. "Wh-wh-wh—"

"He wasn't ready," Jackie rested her head against the steering wheel.

"Uh, Cody? You okay?" Heatwave asked.

"I… don't know," Cody said.

"Congrats, Heatwave!" Jackie said. "You broke Cody! You might need to let that sink in, Cody."

Xxx

Chief Burns noticed that Cody hadn't really eaten his dinner. "Everything alright, son?"

"Yeah, you look pale," Dani put her hand on Cody's forehead. "Are you sick?"

"No… I'm not," Cody said as he played with his food.

"Is it something you found out today?" K-9 asked.

Cody nodded slowly.

"Did… Heatwave tell you something?" Kade asked.

"Rotors raped him and molested First Aid," Cody said.

The dinner table then gained a heavy fog of awkwardness. Cody wasn't supposed to know that until two years had passed.

"D-did Jackie tell you?" Graham asked.

"I just said it was Heatwave," Cody said.

"I'll… let school know that you'll be staying home tomorrow," Chief said.

Xxx

"B-Day is finally here!" Blades clapped his hands. "And things are Bumblebee-autiful."

"Queer!" First Aid called and Heatwave gave him a look.

"First, I do the welcome speech, then the song, then the surprise. Remember, Cody, don't pull the rope until I say 'now'."

"Y-yeah. Got it," Cody said.

"Then we start on my list for Bee to see and do. Bee is—"

"We know," all the bots said.

"Remember, the more awesome we make his visit, the more he'll want to stay."

"Oh, boy," Heatwave rolled his optics.

"I have made some poetry for Bumblebee's arrival," Chase said.

"I-it still needs some more work," Chroma said as she pulled her mate back. 'It's awful,' she mouthed to Blades.

"I made a painting for him," Boulder said. "I call it 'Bumblebee and Optimus'."

"I think I can fit you two in after hiking and scrapbooking," Blades said.

"Ugh. Everyone needs to amp down!" Heatwave said. "Bumblebee's only coming because Optimus _sent him._ Warrior scouts don't get vacation time."

They heard a muscle car engine.

"He's here. He's here! HE'S HERE!" Blades jumped up and down.

"Dial back on the fangasam," First Aid said as Bumblebee entered the bunker.

("Hey, guys,") Bumblebee said.

"And now, a few words of welcome," Blades said. "It is with great honor, that we—"

("Sorry, Blades. I have work to do. First Aid, how are you?")

First Aid gave a thumbs up.

"Is… that why you're here?" Blades asked.

("When Optimus sends me places, it's because of either energon or relics.")

"Oh, you're here on a mission. What are the chances?" Heatwave sarcastically said in an 'I told you so' way.

Bumblebee got out a hologram of Optimus.

" _Greetings, Rescue Bots. My team has discovered a newly-activated Cybertronian artifact on or near Griffin Rock,"_ the recording said. _"I am scouting the ocean. Please assist Bumblebee in scouting the island. Contact me if you find it. Only to power of a Prime can turn off this technology."_

"An assignment from Optimus himself is truly an honor," Chase said.

"Happy to help, Bumblebee," Boulder said.

"Let's go tell Chief about our new mission," Heatwave said.

"But we can't leave now," Blades said as the team left. He was then sadly covered in balloons and confetti.

Xxx

Chief was on the phone while Bumblebee was telling the humans his mission.

"Fossil hunting for Cybertronian tech? Noble!" Graham said.

"Yeah, so, what do we win in this scavenger hunt?" Kade asked.

"It's not a game, Kade," Heatwave said. "Cybertronian technology is extremely fragile and dangerous."

"Ooh. Well, you shoulda kept better track of it, huh?"

"Keep better track of you," Heatwave muttered.

"There was a war, so both factions hid stuff on other planets," Chroma said.

("My sensor will activate when the artifact is close by,") Bumblebee said, which Cody then translated.

"Okay, then let's start searching," Dani said.

"Not so fast, Dani," Chief said. "I just got a call from the mainland that your helicopter license expired."

"What? No way. I sent in my renewal three days ago."

"Well, actually, I sorta did," First Aid said. "It fell out of Cody's pocket and Sir Eats Pants started to, well, you know what goats do."

("Who named that goat?")

"Wheelie did. I used my EMPs to get it out of his mouth and put it in the mailbox. Sorry, Dani, I didn't know they wouldn't accept it."

Cody winced and facepalmed. "I'll do you chores for a week."

"It's alright, Cody. It was my responsibility," Dani said. "But, if you want to clean my room…"

"We'll send another one in," Chief said. "But, until then, you can't be seen flying Blades."

"But we have to help Bumblebee," Blades said. "Besides, I'm the one who does all the flying, so can't she just-?"

"No. If someone sees Dani at your controls, she could lose her license. Rules are rules."

"But, Dani can still drive, right?" Cody asked. "Maybe she can ride with Bee."

("I hope you don't mind, Blades.")

"Why would I mind? It's my two best friends riding together," Blades said. "I'm fine!"

As everyone prepared to leave, First Aid pulled Blades to the side. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

"How can you tell?"

"Body language."

Xxx

The team followed Bumblebee.

("How are you Dani?") Bumblebee asked his passenger.

"I don't know what you just said, but you are one sweet ride, Bumblebee," Dani said. "Powerful, fast, and smooth."

"Oh, Bumblebee, see that field up ahead?" Blades asked. "One time, Dani and I had to rescue a cow that got trapped in a barbed wire fence. Oh, oh, and on the left—"

"Blades? Can we cut the chatter and focus on the mission?" Heatwave asked.

"Let's take that fire road and search the deep forest, team," Chief said.

"Oh, okay. Don't worry about me. I'll—I'll catch up," Blades said. "Eventually."

"It seems like we've covered every inch of this island," Dani said.

("Not all of it,") Bumblebee said.

"Well, Optimus said the relic _might_ be on the island," Heatwave said.

"Perhaps he has located the artifact offshore," Chase said.

"We should probably head back to the firehouse and compare notes," Chief said.

"Yes, finally!" Blades said. "Oh, oh, Bumblebee, once we're Back, we can watch my favorite movie. It's about two best friends who travel together and have wacky adventures."

" _Hey, guys,"_ Cody said. _"A right whale is swimming really close to the ferry. Too close._ "

 _Xxx_

Jackie was riding Abby through town with Miko riding Mach.

"Heatwave told Cody what happened to him?! Why the heck did he do that?" Miko asked.

"I don't know, but I tried to stop him," Jackie said. "Cody was SO not ready. Whoa!" Jackie pulled Abby to a stop as her hair and eyes turned blue real fast. She started to unintentionally go dragon.

"What is it?" Miko grabbed Abby's lead rope.

"A whale that's freaking out!" Jackie dismounted as her wings and tail formed.

"I thought you could control your transmutation."

"I can't when I get a strong stress signal! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Jackie began to snarl as her limbs went from human to dragon.

"Why don't you just go full dragon?"

Jackie facepalmed before she did that. She walked to a nearby park and lied down as she panted.

" _Jackie? Animal control, respond,"_ Chief said through the commlink.

"Uh, she can't talk right now," Miko said as Jackie yawned and stretched like a cat.

" _Tell her we need her to assist us with a sea and air rescue. A right whale just jumped onto the ferry."_

"She's on her way," Miko said as Jackie took off. "Look out for a dragon."

Xxx

Kade and Heatwave were the first to arrive on scene. Kade got out of Heatwave and threw a life raft at the overboard passengers.

The whale swam underneath them.

"That's it, everybody, nice and easy. Don't worry. The whale not a man-eater," Kade said. "I think."

People started to panic when a certain dragon flew overhead.

Don't worry! She prefers store bought meat!" Kade said.

Jackie got the whale attention and led it away.

Chief and blades went to handle the ferry.

Blades dropped his winch.

"Down a little, to the left and… bingo!" Chief said as Blades' winch hooked onto the ferry.

"Great. Now we can get back to hanging out with Bumblebee!" Blades said.

"But first we need to tow ship to the dry docks for repairs," Chief said.

"Will that take a long time?" Blades whined.

"Depends on how fast we get started."

Xxx

Ally, Chroma, and Cody were at the Greene's lab.

"First, the rogue wave, now, the right whale," Doc said. "There must be a connection, but my instruments tell me what is known to science as bupkis."

"Cody, have there been any other emergency calls? Weird algae blooms? Funky Ocean tides?" Frankie asked.

"No. Well, last week my dad said that Madeline Pynch tried to get permits for offshore drilling, but the mayor gave her a big thumbs down," Cody said.

"As he should," Doc said. "It's too dangerous to drill so close to the island."

"Hey, since we haven't found the relic on land, it could have been activated by human activity," Chroma said.

"That can't happen," Ally said. "Can it?"

"Ever heard of that big earthquake in San Francisco in the beginning of the 1900's?"

"What was the relic?" Cody asked.

"Some sort of ship destroyer. No one ever figured out who caused it, but we found the device."

"Something tells me that the Pynches don't care," Frankie said.

"We'll let Chief Burns know if we find anything," Doc said before turning to his daughter. "Come my little prawn. We're going fishing for answers."

Xxx

Blades, Chief, and Jackie (who was FINALLY going back to human form) arrived at the firehouse and saw the bots at the racetrack with Bumblebee on the track.

"That was defiantly _not_ on our schedule of activities," Blades said as he transformed.

Bumblebee and Dani did an exciting lap on the track.

"Whoo-hoo! Yeah," Dani cheered.

"Way to go, Dani! You set a new training course record," Graham said.

Bumblebee transformed and high-fived Dani.

"Nice going, partner," Dani said.

"Partner?" Blades said. "But—"

"Enjoy it while you can, sis," Kade said. "Me and Heatwave are about to crush your time."

"Heatwave and I," Jackie corrected as Heatwave transformed.

"Grammar Nazi!"

"What about you, Chase? Wanna take crack at it?" Chief asked.

"As we determined the artifact is not on the island, I believe I have a new mission," Chase said as Chroma, Ally, and Cody returned.

"Looks like the boys are going on a race," Chroma said.

"Can we—"

"No," Ally and Chroma told Cody.

"Good luck beating Bee and Dee, the Dynamic Duo," Dani said as Chase and Heatwave started their race.

"What?!" Blades exclaimed. "But… I'm your original 'B'. And it rhymes with 'me' and it stands for Blades!" Blades stomped his foot.

("Are you okay?") Bumblebee asked.

"Are you upset, Blades?" Dani asked. "This is a driving course. I-I didn't think you would mind it if I teamed up with Bee."

"Mind? Why would I mind? I don't mind," Blades crossed his arms as First Aid put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, I have an idea, you can be our pit crew."

"What does that mean?"

"You do nothing but repairs," First Aid said.

Jackie sighed as Miko and the horses arrived.

"What's going on?" Miko asked.

"Blades, First Aid, and I are going to watch a movie," Jackie said. "Wanna join?"

"Sure."

"I'll get the Insta-Pen," Boulder said.

Xxx

In the bunker, Blades angrily kicked a balloon.

"Bee and Dani are MY best friends!" he said. "Not each other's. Now, they don't even need me—"

"But I do," Optimus said as he entered the bunker.

"AHH!" Blades jumped into First Aid's arms, causing both to fall.

"Seriously?!" First Aid exclaimed as the girls burst into giggles.

Optimus helped the two up.

"Optimus Prime, sir," Blades saluted. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Enough," Optimus said. "Where are Bumblebee and the rest of your team?"

"At the training course. Um, I can show you how to get—"

"That will not be necessary. _You_ are the only bot I require."

"You want to hang out with me?"

"WE offered to hang out with you!" First Aid said.

"I need you for a mission," Optimus said. "The fate of the island depends on it. Jacqueline, you are free to join us."

"We won't let you down, sir," Blades said.

Jackie flipped the switch to bring the lift to the garage.

"Whoa, Optimus!" Cody said. "I didn't know you'd be coming. Should I get my dad?"

"That will not be necessary, Cody," Optimus said. "Blades and Jackie will be all the assistance I need. Please inform Chief that we will be on a mission."

"He said 'we'," Blades said. "Me and Optimus. We're a 'we'."

Jackie sighed. "Please don't be like this the whole trip."

Xxx

"Ready for our mission, sir," Blades said as he took off with Jackie in his cabin and Optimus on his winch.

Xxx

Now most of the bots were racing on the track.

"Sir, I must admit, legally permitted unfettered speed is rather enjoyable," Chase said.

"Give it all you got, Chase," Chief said. "We can catch up to Bumblebee on this straightaway."

Chase and Bumblebee were neck and neck when a sinkhole appeared in front of them.

Bumblebee managed to jump it, but Chase fell in.

The bots surrounded the hole.

"Chase!" Chroma shouted as she got out her grabbling hook.

Miraculously, he was holding onto the wall.

"I believe this is what humans would call 'hanging in there'," Chase said.

Heatwave got out his hose. "Hold on, Chase. We'll pull you up."

The wall Chase was holding onto began to crumble.

"I apologize, Chief," Chase said. "Boulder assured me our track was 'to code'."

"We'll worry about that later," Chief said. "Assuming there is a later."

The wall crumbled and Chase fell.

Chroma shot her grabbling hook and Chase grabbed it, almost pulling her down. The rest of the bots helped Chroma pull Chase up.

"I guess fishing does have a practical use," Heatwave said.

"Please do not throw us back," Chase said as he let Chief out.

("Whoa, what happened?") Bumblebee asked.

"We're not sure," Boulder said. "Graham, any idea what caused the sinkhole?"

"Yes, but it doesn't make much sense," Graham said. "The ground's soggy. Super saturated with seawater."

"Not what you wanna hear when you live on an island," Chief said. "We better call Doc."

Xxx

"Um, Optimus. What, exactly, is our mission?" Blades asked.

"Retrieval of the Cybertronian artifact," Optimus said.

"It was pretty obvious," Jackie said.

"Some form has activated it. The artifact will liquefy everything in its path: earth, organic matter, metal. If we do not shut it down, it will destroy the island."

"Then, everybody on the island will—"

"Yes," Optimus finished Blades' thought. "That is why I need you to get to the artifact in the ocean so I may deactivate it."

"Wait until I tell Dani and Bee!" Blades said. "So, where to?"

"I am not certain," Optimus said. "The water depth is interfering with my detection device."

" _Sorry to interrupt,"_ Cody said, _"but I think I know someone who can help."_

Xxx

Miko was getting some carrots for the horses when she noticed them acting funny.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I think the artifact's harming the island," Mach said.

"What makes you-?"

A surprise geyser answered her question.

Xxx

" _Blades, the artifact should be about three degrees southeast of your location,"_ Doc said.

"Thanks, Doc," Blades said. "We're on our way."

"I am grateful you are willing to temporarily leave your team to assist me," Optimus said.

"Optimus, helping you is like—you-you're bigger than Elvis!"

"I do not know this 'Elvis', nor am I aware of his size, but are you not concerned about your partner felling left out on this mission?"

"No, Dani can't fly right now, and besides, what we're doing is for everyone."

"Indeed."

"How do you not know who Elvis is?" Jackie asked Optimus.

"I haven't had much time to learn about important figures of this planet."

"Well, he's a dead singer."

"Like Michal Jackson?"

"Yep."

"Blades, for a team to reach its full potential, there must be no room for jealousy among peers."

"Okay, this isn't about Dani or dead singers anymore, is it?" Blades asked.

"I believe we have reached our destination," Optimus said as they neared an oil platform. "This mechanism likely activated the Cybertronian relic."

"I'll take pictures of this thing for evidence we can use to put them away," Jackie went T1 and flew out of Blades' cabin as Optimus went into the ocean.

"Cody, are you seeing this?" Blades asked.

" _It looks like it belongs to Madeline Pynch,"_ Cody said. _"The mayor said she couldn't do any drilling."_

"Oh. Somebody's in trouble!"

" _Yeah. The whole island!"_

Xxx

The team was evacuating people to high and dry ground as they tried to stop the geysers.

Xxx

The twins were helping some tennis players get to safety while First Aid used his EMP's to plug up the geysers with rocks.

"First Aid, stop using your EMP's for a minute or two to conserve your energy," Raychel said.

First Aid nodded as he picked up a rock and shoved it in a geyser. He went to plug another geyser when the one he just plugged dislodged the rock and hit him below the belt. He groaned quietly as he collapsed in pain.

The twins and tennis players all cringed.

Xxx

" _Guys, terra firma is becoming less firm by the minute,"_ Graham said.

"Tell me about it," Dani said as she and Ally assisted an elderly couple out of their log cabin.

The couple managed to hop from log to log on their pathway to their car.

"Drive to high-and-dry ground. You'll be okay," Ally said.

The couple waved at them before driving off.

Dani lost her balance on the log she was standing on and fell into the mud/quicksand. "Ugh. Gross." She than started to sink.

("Hold on, Dani!") Bumblebee said as he and Chroma transformed.

"Stay still! I'll get you out!" Chroma activated her blaster and attempted to shoot her grabbling hook, but it got jammed. "Scrap!"

"Dani, I'm coming in!" Ally began to take off her shoes.

"No! Stay back! This is quicksand!" Dani warned.

Xxx

Jackie flew back into Blades' cabin as he reeled Optimus back up.

"Chief, with the Cybertronian artifact deactivated, your island should regain its former solidity by tomorrow," Optimus said.

Xxx

"That's too long to wait," Dani said. "It's called quicksand for a reason."

" _Hold on, Dani. We're on our way,"_ Chief said. _"Blades, can you reach Dani?"_

Xxx

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Blades said.

"I am slowing you down," Optimus said as they reached land. He let go of Blades and landed in his alt mode.

"Thank you, Optimus! Oh. I wish Bumblebee knew how to do an air rescue."

"I have an idea!" Jackie said.

Xxx

"We are NOT using the boa constrictor!" Chroma said.

"Bad move and idea," Ally said.

Bumblebee grabbed the couple's clothing line, tied the lines together with overalls on the end for Dani to grab, and got ready to throw it. ("Grab the overalls!")

The line went over a branch over Dani, he lowered the overalls, Dani grabbed them, Bumblebee pulled her up, and she slid down the line into Bumblebee's hands.

The rest of the team arrived as Bumblebee put her down.

"Dani," Chief said as the humans walked over.

"Way to go, Bee!" Kade said. "Dani, the two of you work great together."

"Thanks for being there for Dani when I couldn't, Bumblebee," Blades said.

("Hey, no problem,") Bumblebee said as they fist bumped.

"I'm guessing he said more than 'beep bloop beep', didn't he?" Kade asked.

"He said, 'That's what it means to be on a team. We're all partners'," Dani said.

"When did you learn Bumblebee?" Graham asked.

"Somethings you just know what they say."

Xxx

"I can't believe Optimus is letting Bee stay!" Blades cheered.

"It's only for a little while, Blades," Chief said. "His son's coming here, too."

"Wait, what?" Heatwave asked.

"The gang's back together!" First Aid fist bumped the air before cringing and grabbing an ice pack.

"'Gang's back together'?" Cody repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Ion, Bee, and I were practically inseparable when we were younger. Well, until Ion and I were moved to a different camp. Heh. One time, we got into a prank war with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe."

Bumblebee laughed at that memory.

"But, why is Ionix coming here?" Heatwave asked.

"He has business with his earadicons," Chief explained. "Helping with this month's reports."

"It'll be okay," First Aid said. "He's coming tomorrow night."

"Guess we have _two_ guest rooms to prepare then," Boulder said.

Xxx

The first day was uneventful, due to the town taking it easy after the liquefier incident of yesterday.

Heatwave was practicing shadow boxing when the lift lowered into the bunker. He turned around and saw Ionix. "O-oh! Hey. I-I thought you had a meeting on the _Broadside_."

"It ended early," Ionix said as he tossed a small bag to Heatwave.

"What is it?"

"I made some energon snacks."

Heatwave opened the bag. "They look like these exploding candy that made Kade sick."

"Based this batch on this candy called 'Pop Rocks'," Ionix put some of his snacks in his mouth. "Ha ha! Tickles the insides of my mouth!"

"Any news on Rotors?"

"Are you sure you want to know?"

Heatwave nodded.

"We found a signal off the coast of the island. We believe it was some sort of transmission. We know that there was a Cybertronian/human conversation, but we're still investigating it," Ionix said.

The rest of the team entered the bunker.

("No, I don't think I can sing karaoke,") Bumblebee said.

"Why not?" Blades whined.

"Radio doesn't count," First Aid said. He then saw Ionix. "Hey, Ion!"

("Dude, how've you been?") Bumblebee asked.

"Pretty good," Ionix said. "I brought energon snacks for everyone." He handed the 'candy' to the team.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Blades asked.

"Could it be a foreign animated film? Those are cool."

"W-we have mostly anime," Chroma said.

"But _Rango_ is an excellent film," Chase said.

"How about we have a bracket vote?" Heatwave asked. "We put our movies in a bracket and see which one comes out on top."

"Let's do it," Boulder said.

Soon they had all their animated movies- dating from the 1930's to modern day—in a random bracket.

Ionix looked at two movies for a minute. "I'll choose _The Simpsons Movie."_

"Good choice. Most of us aren't fans of _South Park."_

Bumblebee picked _Cars._

First Aid was trying to pick between _My Neighbor Totoro_ and _Kiki's Delivery Service._ "Whoa!" he put a hand over his chest.

"F-First Aid, are you okay?" Heatwave asked as he walked the medic to a crate to sit on.

"Is-is something wrong?" Chroma asked.

"My… my spark," First Aid said. "It-it's funny again."

"Gestalt funny?" Blades asked.

"U-um, a lot!"

("What do you mean 'a lot'?") Bumblebee asked.

"I mean a LOT!"

"You mean… more than one?" Blades asked.

First Aid started to hyperventilate. "Y-yeah! Make it stop!"

"Take deep, calming breaths," Blades instructed. "When you calm down, they'll most likely stop."

First Aid managed to calm himself down.

"Do you feel better?" Heatwave asked.

"Huh?" First Aid took his hand off his chest. "Actually… I do. Thanks, Blades."

"No problem," Blades said. "I'll get the spark tracker. Hopefully, we'll find the source next time it happens."

"I'll tell my earadicons to extend their search perimeters," Ionix said as he went to make the call.

"First Aid went back over to the brackets and chose _Kiki's Delivery Service._

Xxx

A ship had just entered the solar system. Four bots were on that ship: a blue fire-bot leader, twin police-bots-one average build, one thin—and a medical copter-bot.

"Hot Spot, are you sure attempting to communicate with First Aid via spark bond is a good idea?" the copter-bot asked the leader. "He could panic."

"I know," Hot Spot said. "He just calmed down."

"Primus, I swear when we get our hands on Rotors…" the thin twin clenched his fists.

"I'll shoot and stab 'im in his pathetic excuse for mechhood!" the average build twin cocked his blaster.

"Shouldn't we handle this in a civilized manner?" the copter-bot asked.

The thin twin put a knife to the copter's neck. "How 'bout I do what First Aid intended to do to _you,_ Blades?!" he spat.

"Groove, chill!" his twin pulled him back.

"Let me at 'im, Streetwise!"

"Streetwise, take your brother for a walk," Hot Spot ordered.

The two police-bots left.

"You never should'a left!" Groove yelled.

Hot Spot put a hand on Blades' shoulder. "It's okay. He's just mad at himself."

"You, too," Blades said. "I saw your scars."

Hot Spot adjusted his wrist armor. "If anyone should have known about Rotors, it should have been me."

"You saved him before anything worse happened to him."

Hot Spot turned his head to the window. "This time I won't let Rotors get away again."


	35. The Griffin Rock Express

Graham was monitoring the construction of an underground tunnel that would connect the island to the mainland. It was a beautiful night out as two trucks exited the tunnel and went up the exit slope. He was focused on his clipboard and didn't hear a rock fall off of one of the trucks due to the headphones he had on.

An unknown individual suddenly showed up on a motorcycle and grabbed his arm.

He gasped, thinking he might be kidnapped.

The person pressed a button on their chest and the rock just passed through them.

"Uh, thanks," Graham said with a laugh. "Um, Cody… is that you playing Rescue Boy again?"

"Graham!" Boulder shouted.

The person drove off when the rest of the team came out of the tunnel.

"What happen?" Chief Burns asked as the person and their vehicle passed through a building.

"I think I was just rescued by a superhero," Graham said.

"Then we should thank them and recruit them," First Aid said.

"That's not how it works, First Aid," Heatwave said. "They need the proper training, they can't just be Iron Man."

Xxx

Cody walked out of the elevator and saw his family and team looking at him.

"Something you want to tell us, son?" Chief asked.

"Seriously? Putting on that suit again?" Kade asked.

"Don't you remember what happened last time?" Dani asked.

"But…" Cody said.

"It was to our knowledge that Rescue Boy hung up his badge," Chase said.

"Because of too much dependence on the technology, remember?" Heatwave asked.

"Technology is dangerous," Blades said. "At least in this town…"

"Where did you even find tech that can phase through solid material?" Graham asked.

Cody just looked at them confused.

"You don't know what we're talking about, do you?" Boulder asked.

"Because you are totally not alone," First Aid said.

"No," Cody said.

"We're sorry, Cody," Chief said. "We just saw someone who looks a whole lot like Rescue Boy."

"And they could phase through solid rock? Noble!"

"I propose we start a full-scale investigation," Chase said. "I'll start immediately."

Dani yawned. "Maybe a small-scale investigation. At least until we finish the train tunnel tomorrow."

"I agree. One more day of digging and we can get back to work on our real jobs," Chief said.

"Yeah, just why is the mayor making us do more work than the actual construction team?" Kade said.

"Easy—to him, the bots are no more than heavy machinery," Graham said.

"Okay, so any idea how we're gonna find out who this superhero is?" Cody asked.

Heatwave let out a sigh. "Sorry, Cody. This 'heavy machinery' needs some idle time before sunrise."

"I can use a nap," First Aid rubbed his optics. "Between my gestalt bond and our normal work, I'm not too tired but…" he gave an ENORMOUS yawn. "Running on fumes."

"I think I pulled a tractor tread," Boulder said.

"All this manual labor has made me actually miss flying. Wait! No, it hasn't," Blades said.

"Cody, might I suggest surveillance in case the superhero shows up again," Chase said.

"Good idea, Chase," Cody said.

"I'll help him," Chroma volunteered.

Xxx

The next morning Cody and K-9 were checking the cameras.

"Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. More nothing. Something? Nope, even more nothing," K-9 said.

Cody changed to the news when he hit the wrong button. He raised the volume.

["I repeat—chugga, chugga, and choo-choo!"] Huxley said. ["All aboard the Griffin Rock Express. This is Huxley Prescott live from the mainland. Behind me, Doc Greene is putting the final additions on his hover train, which will zip on its way through the island. That train may be new, but the tunnel was made half a century ago. Construction was halted 200 feet short of where the Griffin Rock station was to be built. Our town voted to stop construction. Fortunately, we now have a forward-thinking mayor and several high-tech Rescue Bots. And they work for free! The, uh, robots, that is."]

Cody then got a vidcall. It was Deputy Barney. "Hey, Barney, what's up?"

" _The lockup's up with Evan and Myles. They were found inside the sealed bank vault when it was opened this morning,"_ Barney said.

"But how did they get in there?" Cody asked as K-9 tilted his head and growled in confusion.

" _According to the surveillance footage,_ _they were trying to break in when someone pushed them right through the door…"_ he showed them the video _"… like it wasn't even there. Spooky, I tell you!"_

"Whoa! Okay, Barney. I'll let my dad know," Cody reached for the mike. "Dad, the superhero struck again. Foiled a bank robbery this time."

Xxx

"Is anybody hurt?" Chief asked.

" _No. and Evan and Myles are in jail,"_ Cody said.

Chief's phone rang. "Good. Fill me in later, Cody. The mayor's calling. Mr. Mayor, let me get topside. The reception's really bad down here."

"Reinforce this area, then we're done," Graham told his siblings.

Kade and Dani used hardening foam cannons on the rock wall.

Kade walked to the hardened foam and knocked on it. "Hard as a rock. Hate to mix this stuff up with my shaving cream."

"Sure would be a lot quieter around the house," Dani said.

"Ha, ha, ha! That happened to my neighbor a couple years back," Ally said.

"Where's First Aid?" Raychel asked.

"Back at the firehouse," Heatwave said as he thought back to that morning.

Xxx

" _First Aid, wake up," Heatwave walked into the medic's room. "We have to go to work."_

 _First Aid was snoring heavily._

" _First Aid, up!" he grabbed the medic by the underarms and shook him a little. "Wakey, wakey!"_

 _First Aid continued snoring._

" _I'm going to count to three and you better wake up. One, two, three!"_

 _Heatwave let go of First Aid, who just collapsed to the ground still asleep._

" _What in the?!"_

Xxx

"Not 100% sure if he woke up by now. Hard to believe that tunnel goes all the way to the mainland," Heatwave said.

"Which begs the question—why did the town refuse to finance the tunnel's completion 50 years ago?" Chase asked.

"Turned out no one wanted a commuter train," Graham said.

"Yeah, you know who else doesn't? This guy," Kade gestured to himself. "Who needs that many visitors?"

"Seriously, I mean, part of Griffin Rock's charm is that we're kind of off by ourselves," Dani said.

"Though, I do like trains—fast and powerful! Kind of wish I was a train," Boulder said.

"Me, too! Chugga, chugga, choo-choo! That's the noise they make," Blades said. "According to Huxley."

"But, you're limited to your tracks, too," Chroma said.

"I think I'm gonna go home and sleep for a week," Graham said with a yawn.

"Me, too," Dani said.

"Great idea," Kade said.

"Sorry, kids," Chiefs said. "We're heading to the mainland. The mayor expects us on that trains this morning."

The team protested.

"The rescue team should be there just in case. Right?" Chief asked the team.

The humans reluctantly agreed.

"If the train had seating for oversized robots, we'd gladly take your place," Chase said.

"Because we love that—"

"No, we don't!" Chroma cut Blades off as she stretched her back.

"Are you okay?" Blades asked.

"Ah, I'm fine. Just… need a little break."

"Ally, why don't you and Chroma head back to the firehouse?" Chief asked. "You two could use a break."

"Hey, no fair!" Kade said. "How come Ally gets the rest of the day off?!"

"Kade, I still have to go on the train with you, the council, Jackie—"

"Wait, Jackie?" Heatwave cut Ally off.

"But she's got a tummy ache," Blades said.

"And trust me, she's worse with indigestion," Chroma said. "In fact, I think that's why she went dragon in the first place when she got here."

"Oh, yeah. I read that autistics sometimes have digestion issues," Boulder said.

"That explains several things," Chase said.

Xxx

Back at the firehouse, Ally was looking for the mystery hero while Cody was watching the security cameras.

Ally's eyes widened a bit when she saw the figure the team saw last night. They appeared to be patrolling the town.

"Hey, Cody, can you ask some business owners if they've seen our superhero?" she handed Cody the stills she collected.

"Why, the business owners?" Cody asked.

"They may have caught video of them without noticing. I'm going to run some biometrics to see if I can narrow down the suspect pool."

"Okay," Cody went to make the calls.

Xxx

Most of the human half of the team was on the ferry to the mainland.

" _I hope you're not too disappointed about missing the ride, son,"_ Chief said.

"I'll catch the train next time, Dad," Cody said.

"And we're busy looking for that superhero," K-9 asked.

" _Okay, but be careful. We don't know what we're dealing with there. Be back soon."_

Cody and K-9 went to searching the cameras.

"Look who's speeding again," K-9 said when they saw Don speeding… again.

Cody zoomed in. "Uh-oh!"

"Jackie doesn't even text and drive!"

They both tensed up when they thought Don was about to hit the monument of Horace Burns.

The superhero climbed on the stature, pressed a button on their chest, and Don passed through.

"Don't go anywhere!" Cody got up from his chair.

"I wouldn't do that just yet," K-9 said as the emergency line blared.

"Emergency dispatch. Jimmy, where are you trapped? Okay. I'm closest. I'll be right there."

"Uh, not if the superhero gets there first!" K-9 said as the superhero drove off.

Xxx

Cody and K-9 arrived at the junkyard and saw the superhero phase Jimmy out of the old shipping container. The person ran off when they saw K-9 and Cody.

"Hey!" Cody shouted.

The person drove off.

"K-9, go!" Cody ordered.

K-9 activated his transmetal mode, making sure it appeared to come from his vest.

"Jimmy, you okay?" Cody asked.

"Yeah, but who was that?" Jimmy asked.

"I'm about to find out," Cody drove after K-9 and the person.

Cody and K-9 followed them through the maze of the junkyard.

The person phased through a dead-end.

Cody and K-9 tried to hit the brakes, but K-9's back legs started to get ahead of him and Rolling Thunder's brakes failed.

They both screamed.

Xxx

Groove stormed into the navigation station of their ship. "Blades! Why the frag did you change course?!"

"I picked up an Autobot distress signal and Hot Spot told me to change it," Blades said.

"What a load of scrap!"

"No, it's not," Hot Spot said as he entered the room. "What he says is true. We have the capacity for a few more bots."

Groove glared at Blades before leaving.

"Hot Spot, raise your arm," Blades got his first aid kit out.

Hot Spot readjusted his wrist armor. "What are you…" he realized he was leaking a lot of energon. "Scrap."

"You really need to stop doing this," Blades sighed as he patched Hot Spot up.

Xxx

Cody and K-9 screamed as they barreled toward the dead-end.

The superhero phased back through the dead-end, K-9, landed on Rolling Thunder, and they phased through the wall and out of the junkyard.

"Who are you?" Cody asked the hero.

The hero got off Rolling Thunder and let go of K-9. The hero walked to the trike, faced Cody and their helmet retracted to reveal their identity…

"Hey, guys," Frankie said.

"Frankie?!" Both boys' jaws dropped.

"Where did—but how?" Cody asked.

"And why are…?" K-9 trailed.

Frankie looked around. "Uh, not here," Frankie said as she got on the trike. "Meet me at your house. I'll explain everything."

Xxx

"Rescue Girl? What got into you, Frankie?" Heatwave asked.

"Riding around on a super powered bike?" Boulder asked.

"Eavesdropping on emergency calls?" Chase asked.

"Risking your life? Which makes no sense to me," Blades said.

"Primus, _I_ wasn't prepared when I joined the team," First Aid said.

"Well, it's just that you were so busy on the tunnel, I thought I'd help out a bit," Frankie said.

"Okay. That sounds reasonable," Blades said.

"Not if something went wrong," Heatwave said.

"Yeah! What were you thinking Frankie?"

"I was only gonna do the small stuff, but I realized I kinda liked _rolling_ to the rescue," Frankie said.

Chroma knelt down and put a hand on the girls shoulder. "You're not old enough. Having you on the team now would be like recruiting child warriors."

"Why the costume?" Cody asked.

"Uh… I didn't want anyone to recognize me because I sort of borrowed to tech," Frankie took the badge off her suit and handed it to Cody. "It's called a 'Phase Bit'."

"That's what lets you walk through walls?"

"Yeah. But it's really for placing pipes underground without drilling."

"Kinda reminds me of the Phase Shifter," First Aid said as Boulder took the Phase Bit.

"Fascinating," Boulder said. "How does it work?"

"Mm, you'll have to ask my dad," Frankie said. "He built it for a client. I'm not even supposed to know about it."

Heatwave took the tech from Boulder. "Huh. Could come in handy for rescues… like freeing people from burning buildings."

"And avoiding midair collisions! I want one," Blades said.

"Even driving through obstacles during high-speed pursuits," Chase said.

"Or entering cave-ins without digging," Boulder said.

"Or to be a superhero!" Cody said.

The bots just looked at him.

"Don't forget various foreign objects in various areas of the human body," First Aid said.

Now everyone was looking at him.

"What? The twins and I had an interesting week last month," First Aid said.

"Even with high-tech gear, you're untrained, Frankie," Heatwave gave her back the badge. "I can't let you keep going out alone, especially at night."

"Just look at First Aid. He almost killed Chase!" Blades said.

"Mm, I know," Frankie leaned against her trike in defeat.

"You will also inform your father," Chase said.

"As soon as he gets back from the mainland."

"Which should be soon," Cody said. He checked the time. "The train should be pulling out of the station."

"Frankie, do you know what we bots did before we were Rescue Bots?" Chroma asked.

"What?" the human girl asked.

"We had jobs. Jobs that led us to where we are now. Chase and I were both police officers, Heatwave was a lieutenant firefighter, Blades was an RN, and Boulder worked in construction."

"What about First Aid?"

The young medic cringed up a bit. "Ooh, yeah, let's-let's not go there."

"Why did you guys decide to become Rescue Bots?" Cody asked.

"I am incapable of taking a life," Chase said. "My unit was on the trail of a murderer and I had him cornered. He was armed and… I let him get away because I couldn't pull the trigger."

"I needed to get away for a while," Heatwave said. "Family stuff."

"Boulder and I wanted to see more of the universe," Blades said.

"I was an officer when the war broke out, so I worked behind enemy lines before I got assigned as First Aid's bodyguard," Chroma said.

"I just got tired of being cooped up back at Team Prime's base," First Aid said.

"Oh. Heatwave, if you were having family problems, why didn't you talk with them about them?" Frankie asked.

"A-actually, they said that _I_ was the problem," Heatwave said.

"Oh."

"Chase, you let a killer go away?!" Cody exclaimed.

"Cody, I thought I was ready, but… I just—I just couldn't do it. Thankfully, no more lives were lost by him," Chase said.

"They eventually got him, right?" Frankie asked.

"I… read about it during Rescue Bot training."

"How about we all watch the news?" First Aid suggested.

Xxx

"I can't tell you how thrilled I am!" Luskey said to the other passengers. "Well, yes, I can. I've wanted a train since I was a boy! And this combines my other favorite passion—tourism. With a mere 20 minute ride our town will be bursting at the seams with big spenders. And since all of you are no doubt excited to ride the rails as I am…" Luskey went to turn the train on.

"I'm ready to go home! Ugh!" Jackie said as she held her tummy.

"Uh, please continue, Mayor," Lindsy said as she rubbed the teen's back when she put her head on the table.

" _All aboard! Next stop, Griffin Rock,"_ the Auto-Conductor said as it activated and took off.

Lindsy gave Jackie a coloring book and pencils, and went to check on the rescue team. "Chief Burns, how come you aren't sleeping?"

"I had some coffee before we boarded," Chief said. "How's Jackie?"

"Let's just say there's a traffic jam. I see they're serving snacks and drinks. Think they have apple juice?"

"Couldn't hurt to check."

The mayor pressed a button on the train's control panel, causing its whistle to blow. "Ha, ha! I've always wanted to do that!"

Jackie threw her empty pencil case at him and crossed her arms.

"Hey!" Luskey readjusted his toupee.

"Jackie!" Lindsy scolded. "Oh, she went a little dragon."

Huxley took a picture of Jackie.

"Did I scare her?" Luskey asked.

"Probably fight or flight," Lindsy said. "Happens sometimes."

"She is NOT like a Titan," T.J. noted.

Huxley saw how fast they were going. "Not exactly an express train, is it?" he walked over to Luskey and shoved a mike in his face. "Mayor, care to explain why the train will be LATE on its _inaugural_ run?"

"Late? Uh, nonsense! Auto-Conductor, when will we reach our destination?" Luskey asked.

" _In 41 minutes, 19 seconds,"_ the Auto-Conductor said.

"Ah! Unacceptable! Doctor Greene, what is the meaning of this?!"

"Mr. Mayor, I'm afraid your deadline is to blame. We didn't have enough time to calibrate the high-velocity booster," Doc showed him the train's schematics.

"So what if the booster isn't working perfectly? Anything's better than this snail's pace. Auto-Conductor, give her all she's got!"

"Mayor, that is not wise!"

" _Accelerating to full speed,"_ Auto-Conductor said.

The jolt of the train scared everyone.

"Five more minutes," Kade said.

"What time is it?" Dani asked.

"Choo-Choo," Graham sleepily said.

"Anyone hurt?!" the twins immediately asked.

Ally was cursing in Arabic.

Jackie had gone more dragon and got her pencil case.

"Jackie, it's going to be okay," Lindsy walked the transmutate back to her seat. "Luskey, you're an idiot!"

"We're going faster!" Jackie's voice began to change. "It's broken!"

"Auto-Conductor, reduce speed!" Luskey ordered.

" _System error. Unable to comply…"_ the Auto-Conductor broke.

Jackie went more dragon and tried to talk as she put her things back in her backpack.

"Raychel, T.J., I'm going to need you to help me get Jackie to the back of the train," Lindsy said. "That way no one will get hurt if she goes full on dragon."

The twins helped Lindsy with Jackie.

"Doc, can you shut it down?" Chief asked.

"I'll try to manual override," Doc said. He opened the control panel, but it was badly damaged. "Chief, I'm afraid we're on a train that is now a runaway."

Xxx

The bots were around the TV, watching the live news.

["AH! This is not a stunt on my award-winning show 'I Dare Me', check local listings, so get me off of this runaway train!"] Huxley yelled.

"A runaway?!" Cody exclaimed.

"Oh, no!" Frankie gasped.

"But where's it running away to?" Blades asked.

"Unfortunately, not far, since the train will run out of tunnel just after the Griffin Rock station," Chase said.

"Is there any way to divert it?" Heatwave asked.

"Afraid not," Boulder said.

"I'm going to see if Emerald can assist," Chroma said.

"I heard that Optimus stopped a train by grabbing it," First Aid said.

"That doesn't even sound possible," Heatwave said.

"We need to find out what's on the _other_ side of that rock wall," Cody said.

"The Central Database has records of ALL underground channels on the island," Frankie ran to her trike and brought up a holomap. "Here's the train tunnel."

"If we can break through the rock wall, we can buy them some more time. This one will buy them the most," Cody pointed at the longest tunnel.

"Hey, what if I try to phase the rock so the whole train will pass through?"

"I can't even count how many ways that can go wrong," First Aid said.

"We're not risking it, Frankie. We'll do this the old-fashioned way," Heatwave turned to his team. "Let's tool up."

The team got their tools and Energizers and left.

Xxx

"Thanks, Cody," Chief said. "Everyone, the Rescue Bots have been ordered to direct us to another passage way."

"Why am I even here?" Mr. Apler asked.

"Then what? Where does it take us?" Luskey asked.

"That is a temporary solution, Chief!" Huxley said.

"So is hiding under a table, Hux," Ally said.

"Touché."

"Easy, everyone," Chief said. "Doc, can you think of anything to stop the train."

"Like, maybe an emergency brake?" Dani asked.

"Or a component to disconnect," Graham said.

"Or smash!" Kade rather liked his idea. "I can smash something."

"There is a reverse-engine lever in the rear cab where Jackie, Lindsy, and the twins are," Doc said. "It's not meant to be used in motion, but it might slow us down."

"I'll go!" Dani ran to the rear cab.

"As for a component to disconnect, there should be one connected to the power booster underneath a panel in the front cab."

"Graham and I will help you," Chief said.

"So… nothing to smash?" Kade asked.

"Uh, look, go help Dani. That lever could be stuck."

"I am all over it," Kade ran to the back of the train.

Xxx

The bots arrived at the Griffin Rock train station and transformed.

They activated their Energizers before going inside the tunnel and began to take down the wall.

"Graham, we just sent you the tunnel map," Cody said into his comm. "Graham?"

Xxx

The map downloaded onto Graham's tablet. "Got it, Cody."

Doc handed Chief some sort of tech from the train.

"Uh, shouldn't we be slowing down?" Chief asked.

"That's not the booster," Doc said. "It's one of the many pieces I have to remove before _reaching_ the booster."

"Uh, we're coming up on Griffin Rock," Graham said.

"Then I hope the bots are getting the job done," Chief said.

Xxx

The bots were working as fast as they could when they heard the train's whistle.

"Hurry! The train's almost here!" Boulder said.

"And to think I used to like that sound," Blades said.

The bots began to work faster.

Chroma drove up to them and transformed. "I've evacuated the station. Bow, stand back!" she attached a detonator to the wall.

The team got to a safe distance when the detonator went off, breaking a hole in the wall.

They then saw the light of the train.

"Get back!" Boulder shouted.

First Aid got rid of the explosion debris.

The bots hugged the wall as the train passed way too close to them.

"Success," Chase said. "Exactly, what is our plan now?"

"We're hopping on that train and getting those people off," Heatwave said.

"We're hopping on that WHAT?!" Blades exclaimed.

"What about Jackie?" First Aid asked.

"The stress of the situation's caused her transmutate abilities to spike," Chroma said.

"Oh! She can chest-burst out of there!" Blades said.

"We'll handle that when we get there," Heatwave said. "Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue."

The team transformed and followed Heatwave.

"Oh, for a set of wheels," Blades complained as his rotors hit the ceiling.

"Follow my lead," Heatwave said.

The bots kicked it up a gear as they chased the train.

"The train's too fast. We're not catching up!" Frankie said.

"Dad, do you read me?" Cody pressed his comm.

Xxx

"Cody, Cody!" Chief tried his comm.

"A sharp 'S' curve up ahead. Can the auto-steering unit handle it?" Graham asked Doc.

" _This_ auto-steering unit?" Doc asked.

"Guess I'm driving," Chief said.

Xxx

Kade, Dani, Lindsy, and Jackie were flipping the jammed reverse-engine lever with all their might.

"I think it's working!" Dani said as the bots came closer into view.

Jackie gave an unhappy growl as she transmutated faster.

"Guys, we should probably give Jackie some space," Lindsy said as she led the siblings out of the car.

Kade went to pick up Jackie's bag, but Jackie growled and grabbed her bag.

Xxx

"They're slowing!" Heatwave said. "M—"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Chroma shouted.

Dragon Jackie exploded out of the rear car.

"Jackie, help slow down the train!" Boulder shouted.

"Hang on!" Blades transformed, injected Jackie with a phenotype, and transformed again.

Jackie used her now prehensile tail to grab onto the rest of the rear car and dug her claws into the ground.

"Move it, team! Move it!" Heatwave ordered.

The bots drove onto the top of the train.

The train began to speed up again.

"Boulder, break through the roof!" Heatwave said.

Boulder began attempting to break the roof with his shovel.

Xxx

"One more curve," Chief grunted as he steered the train.

"And no more power wrench," Doc said as he held up the broken tool.

"We're out of time anyway, Doc… and tunnel. It dead ends right in front of us."

Xxx

"Is one of the bots trying to break in?!" Huxley asked.

"Maybe I can help them," Ally got out her gun. "Everybody, under the table!"

Everyone got under the tables and Ally began shooting at the ceiling.

Xxx

"This train must be armor plated," Boulder said.

"Then this looks like a job for Rescue Girl!" Frankie said.

"Wait! Hold on!" Chroma went robot voice. "Deputy Ally, cease fire."

Heatwave was worried. "Frankie…"

"Heatwave, even untrained civilians have a right to help out in emergencies if they can," Cody said. "And we need help."

"Besides, this time, I have the WHOLE team watching my back," Frankie said.

"All right, just be careful," Heatwave said.

"Phase on!" Frankie activated her helmet and phased out of Heatwave and into the train.

"Man, that's cool!" Cody said.

Xxx

Everyone nearly lost their minds when someone phased into the car.

The person retracted their helmet, revealing their identity.

"Frankie?" Dani asked.

" _You're_ the superhero?" Kade's eyes widened.

"What on earth are you doing here, Frankie?" Doc asked.

"Rolling to the rescue, Dad," Frankie said.

They then stacked up the trays and Frankie climbed up.

"Everyone hold on and don't let go," Frankie said as she activated the phaser.

The passengers were phased into buckled seat belts.

"Oh, this might not end well for us," Ally said to Chroma.

"Well, we both agree on that," Chroma said.

The bots drove of the train and Jackie followed them. (Remember what Cody said earlier)

Jackie shielded Chroma and Ally when the train crashed.

Xxx

Back at the station, almost everyone was letting the reporters they were okay.

The twins and First Aid took Ally to the hospital to make sure she was okay, Chroma was waiting on the surface for a flatbed, as were Blades and Jackie, who was being given an anti-transmutate IV.

"Thank you, thank you," Luskey said. "Although we didn't arrive at our destination on time, the Griffin Rock Express will ride again… once acceleration issues are worked out. Of course, we wouldn't have arrived at all if not for our fearless rescue team, thought I do wonder when these robot vehicles became so advanced they could operate without drivers."

"They've always been more than heavy machinery, Mr. Mayor," Cody said.

"And I hope we'll be seeing more of _you,_ Rescue Girl."

Frankie gave a small chuckle. "Maybe, but I still need more _training_ before joining the team."

Heatwave gave a subtle nod of approval.

"Care to comment on the exciting new device used in today's rescue, Ms. Greene?" Huxley shoved the mike in her face.

"Sure," Frankie said.

"That technology was commissioned by a new drilling company, and they control all the rights," Doc cut in. "We're not even supposed to discuss it."

"Ooh! Mysterious! Can you divulge the name of this company's owner?" Huxley asked.

"We've never met, but I have no reason to think they're not generous and trust worthy. Can you imagine this technology in the wrong hands?"

xxx

After the emergency the team got a well-deserved three days of no emergencies.


	36. Triple Villainy

Cody ran back onto the field. "Hologram's working, Doc. Game on!" he kicked the ball to the center of the field where Graham was.

First Aid made a small whimper. "Jackie, think you can replace me? I don't feel good."

"Sure," Jackie mounted Abby and went T1 Beta.

"Chase, you want to repeat the rules before we play?" Graham asked.

"Certainly. The rules of Rescue Ball are… there are no rules," Chase said.

"Exactly. Try to get the ball through the other team's goal by all means necessary."

Jackie gave a dragon smile as she giggled.

" _No, Jackie, I don't think you can eat anyone,"_ Abby warned.

"No rules, remember? And who said I was hungry? I just ate," Jackie said.

"Ready?" Graham asked.

"Does a scraplet eat metal?" Heatwave punched his fists.

"That's a 'yes'," Boulder told Dani.

Heatwave's and Chase's teams got ready.

Graham blew his whistle and tossed the ball up.

The two teams began to play.

The twins joined Ally and First Aid on the sidelines.

"So, what are we doing?" T.J. asked.

"Keeping score and checking email," Ally said as she read the emails on her laptop.

"Not feeling good," First Aid hugged his knees.

Graham blew his whistle again. "Point one for Heatwave's team."

"Blades, can you give First Aid a scan?" Raychel asked.

"Nice one, Frankie. I thought Doc already gave that tech to the company who ordered it?" Chief raised an eyebrow.

" _I_ got to keep the prototypes," Frankie said.

Xxx

Darksyde was hiding camouflage outside of an odd seacraft shaped like the female of the anglerfish species. He was spying on this 'doctor' and client of his that sounded like a royal pain.

The royal pain made a startled noise, so he hacked into the cameras and saw that the 'doctor' had rapidly aged.

 _Wait, how long do these 'humans' live?_ He thought.

The tube the 'doctor' entered reversed this age progression.

 _Of course…_

The two humans were about to leave when another submarine docked. A scarred man with steam-punk soldiers exited the craft and began discussing when they would acquire the two femmes.

The 'doctor' said they would get them soon enough, to give him a few days.

The scarred man gave him a week or he would take things into his own hands.

Darksyde sent a message informing the human to just drop First Aid into the ocean and he would pick him up and pay him later.

He continued to spy on them.

Xxx

The team was timed out because dragon Jackie accidently ate Kade's hoverboard.

"So, do we give her the Heimlich Maneuver or what?" Kade asked.

"An endoscope?" Boulder asked.

"You guys hold her still," First Aid said.

The bots held Jackie tight, with Blades applying pressure between her wings.

"Heatwave, Boulder, hold her jaws open," First Aid said.

"What are you going to do?" Heatwave asked.

"Activate her gag reflex," First Aid shoved his hand into the transmutate's mouth.

Chief took an emergency call. "Be right there, sir. Mayor Luskey just tried to drive across Franklin Bridge."

"That bridge was destroyed last year," Kade said.

"I'm guessing that's what caused the emergency," Boulder said.

"Come on, team. Let's go," Chief said.

"Hold—AUGH!" First Aid jumped back as Jackie emptied her stomach contents.

"Is that a car?!" T.J. exclaimed.

"Chief, think First Aid and I can watch Jackie to make sure she's fine?" Chroma asked.

"I guess we'll be fine, but we'll contact you if we need back up," Chief said.

"So, which team won?" Blades asked.

"If you have to ask, it wasn't you," Heatwave took the ball from Blades.

Xxx

They arrived on the scene to find the mayor's car teetering on the broken bridge.

Blades used his winch to keep the car from falling while Heatwave transformed and pulled the car back onto more stable part of the bridge.

"Where did you get those robots? They're amazing!" Luskey said.

Cody looked at his dad in confusion while K-9 tilted his head.

"Are you felling okay, Mr. Mayor?" Cody asked.

"I'm fine, Graham," Luskey said.

Graham walked up to them. "Uh, _I'm_ Graham. _That's_ Cody."

" _You? Cody?_ Last time I saw you, you were in diapers! Oh, they grow up so fast, don't they, Chief?"

"I think we better get you to a doctor, Mayor Luskey," Chief said.

Xxx

"Heatwave may have won Rescue Ball, but I still beat him back home," Blades said after he and Dani arrived at the firehouse.

"And that means bragging rights?" Dani asked.

"It means I'm in charge of the TV."

"I don't know," T.J. said.

"First Aid said not to bother him for 15 minutes," Raychel said.

"Why not?" Blades asked.

"He says he needs his 15 minutes once a week," the twins said.

"He'll understand. 'Cupcake Hoarders, here I come!" Blades took the lift down.

Blades began to hum a merry tune as he went to watch his favorite show as soon as First Aid was—

Blades' jaw dropped and couldn't believe his optics.

First Aid had headphones on, his right hand below his pelvic armor, and watching gay porn.

"First Aid! What are you—I-I mean, i-it's pretty obvious, but WHY HERE?!" Blades exclaimed.

First Aid turned off the TV, ripped off the headphones, removed his hand, and readjusted his armor. "Hey, what _I_ do with _my_ 15 minutes is _no one's_ business!"

"It does when it's the TEAM'S TV!"

First Aid began to sanitize his hands. "Nobody complained before."

"You've DONE THIS BEFORE?! That's just WRONG! That should ONLY be reserved for the BEDROOM! N-now we have to sanitize the whole area! You should be ashamed of yourself! Any other secrets?"

"I poisoned Heatwave when he was carrying Rotors' child."

Blades stared at him in shock. "Have you no soul? Th-that's wronger!"

"It was for the best."

"You could have KILLED him!"

"You don't know how he could have reacted when that-that _SPAWN_ came into being!"

"I'm telling Heatwave when he gets back and you'll be _so dead_!"

"Help! Can anyone hear me?" 'Heatwave' called from the tunnel.

"Heatwave?" both medics asked.

"Hurry! I'm in trouble!"

the medics ran down the tunnel.

"Heatwave! Where are you?" Blades asked.

"What are you doing down here?" First Aid asked.

"Waiting…" the voice didn't belong to Heatwave. It was Dr. Morocco with a voice-altering megaphone. "… for you." He sprayed them with a green mist.

Blades immediately transformed, but First Aid did all he could to keep himself from transforming.

" _First Aid, just let it happen,"_ Blades said on the bot comm. _"It'll be easier."_

" _Rotors said stuff like that!"_ First Aid said.

" _Okay, poor choice of words. Just let yourself transform. You need to save your strength."_

First Aid let himself transform.

"Two down, five to go," Morocco said.

Xxx

The team walked into the bunker.

"Funny, where's First Aid?" Chroma asked.

"I hope he's not arguing with Blades again," Heatwave said as he picked up the remote. "Wonder what they were watching?" he turned on the TV and immediately turned it off.

"Cody, you didn't see much, did you?" Chase asked.

"I didn't," Cody said.

'First Aid' and 'Blades' walked into the bunker.

"What were you two doing in the tunnels?" Heatwave asked.

"Patrolling the area," the two said.

"Oh, a commendable pastime," Chase said.

The two medics began punching training dummies.

Cody opened his mouth, but Chroma stopped him.

"They need some time before getting back to normal," she said. "They may have had an argument."

Xxx

Blades and First Aid were being towed underwater to Morocco's larger submarine.

" _First Aid, don't worry. It'll be alright,"_ Blades said.

" _What's the worse he's done?"_ First Aid asked.

" _He tried to vivisect us."_

" _I HATE—"_

The line towing First Aid detached, causing him to sink to the ocean floor.

" _First Aid? First Aid! Do you read me?" Oh, Primus! No!_ Blades thought.

Xxx

Darksyde put 10 shanix in the 'doctor's' submarine and grabbed First Aid. He wrapped his winch around the medic, transformed into his helicopter/airplane alt mode, and flew out of the ocean.

A groundbridge opened up and went in.

He transformed and untied First Aid.

Rotors walked up to them and put an antidote patch on First Aid.

The young bot transformed. "R-R-R-R-Rotors! Wh-why?! Why are you doing this? Why me?!"

Rotors caressed First Aid's face. "I missed you, too. We'll have a fun time. Your boyfriend won't even mind. Not one bit."

First Aid squeezed his optics shut as Rotors kissed him on the lips.

Rotors turned to Darksyde. "Take him to his room."

Xxx

Meanwhile on the Protectobot's ship…

Blades walked into the common area. "Lady and gentlemechs, we will reach our destination shortly. If you walk up to the bridge, you will see the planet's moon, and then what is known as the 'Blue Marble', though, it's more of a 'Blue, Green, and White Marble'."

"No one gives a frag," Groove said.

"Did you contact Optimus?" Hot Spot asked.

"I did. I set our ship to land near a previously settled Autobot Base," Blades said.

"D-did he say…" the red femme they picked up grabbed her also red mate's arm as she asked.

Blades nodded. "Your boy's alive and well."

"Last Rescue Bots. Isn't that cool?" Streetwise asked his brother.

Groove gave a shrug.

"Heatwave was always one tough son of a glitch," the red fire-bot said.

"You want to rephrase that, Inferno?" his mate asked.

"Sorry, Firestar. I just mean that Heatwave's the stubbornest bot I've known."

Blades noticed his teammates acting distressed. "What's wrong?"

"Blades, can you get this hunk of junk moving any faster?" Groove asked.

"First Aid's in trouble," Hot Spot said.

Xxx

Doctor Morocco walked into the lab on his submarine where Blades was, with an antidote patch in hand.

"There," he put it on Blades' canopy. "A little antidote, and you'll be good as new."

Blades transformed and gasped in shock when he saw Morocco. He activated his visor and went robot mode.

"Now, now. No point in pretending. I _know_ you're an alien," Morocco said.

"I am a Rescue Bot," robot Blades said.

"And I'm the Duchess of Kent," Morocco sarcastically said as he walked to a computer.

"Greeting, Duchess," robot Blades snarked back.

"When I broke into the firehouse, I stole your data files," Morocco pulled up a picture of Optimus Prime. "They're quite educational. I learned about Optimus Prime, your missions, and how to capture you with the meteor's virus. I know all about you, Blade."

Blades dropped his robot act. "It's 'Blades', with an 'S'. Guess you don't know everything."

"Then please, enlighten me," Morocco pulled a lever.

"AHH!" Blades was magnetized to the wall. "Let go! Dani's gonna come find me, she'll be really mad!"

"I'll risk it. Besides, she doesn't even know you're gone," Morocco pressed a button on a remote, which opened a garage door, revealing robotic doppelgangers of the team.

"Where's First Aid? Because if you're not scared of Dani, First Aid's creator will defiantly squish you!"

"They won't find out. While you Rescue Bots work for me, these robotic doubles will work with the rescue team. I even figured out how to make them transform. I'm really doing Chief Burns a favor."

"Ha! I got you to reveal your evil plan! And where's First Aid?! Even if I can't warn them, Ratchet will KNOW something's wrong!"

"Oh, someone picked him up. And, besides, you won't even remember this conversation," Morocco hit Blades with a memory wiping ray.

"AHH!" Blades fainted.

Xxx

He slowly came to. "Uh… guys? What happened to our ship? Where am I?" he was by himself.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright, Blades!" an organic creature said. "Your ship crash landed on my planet. Optimus Prime has given me orders to guide your Rescue Bot team."

"Who are you?"

"You may call me 'friend'."

Xxx

Cody ran to 'Blades', who was doing push-ups.

"Hey, Blades, check it out! I scored tickets to the pirate movie marathon at the drive-in. 'Arr' you in, matey?" he asked.

"I will accompany you, if you wish," 'Blades' said.

"Come on, Blades. Quit pouting about the argument you had with First Aid. This is pirates. You love pirates."

"If you say so."

"Hey, Cody," Jackie walked up to the garage door with Abby and a Clydesdale. "Wanna go for a ride?"

"Sure," Cody said. "We'll talk later, Blades."

"As you wish," 'Blades' said.

"Cody, commtab," Jackie reminded.

Cody grabbed the device. "Which one's mine?"

"Mikey," Jackie patted the Clydesdale's neck. "But, you can ride Abby if you're more comfortable."

"I'll ride Abby," Cody said as Jackie handed him a new riding helmet.

They mounted the horses.

"When did you get Mikey?" Cody asked.

"Y'know the local corkboard? Lindsy and I were planning on making a little money on the side and now that the horses are in good homes and with their owners, we decided to offer some boarding for other equestrians on the island. Mikey here is our first tenant," Jackie said. "But, the bots. First Aid and Blades aren't First Aid and Blades."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you see their eyes?"

"No… they haven't retracted their visors."

"You can see their eyes, even with visors on you can see them. I tried with this 'First Aid' and no eye light, no eyes."

"Then… how do they see?"

"Maybe the visors _are_ their eyes. Look, just keep _your_ eyes out for more _Invasion of the Rescue Bot Snatchers._ I called Ion and told him to start looking for First Aid and Blades."

"Do you think it's Rotors?"

Jackie shrugged. "C'mon, let's circle back to the firehouse."

Xxx

Chief, Dani, and K-9 were in the kitchen when Chief got a phone call.

" _Chief, Dr. McSwain asked me to help her examine the mayor,"_ Doc Greene said. _"There's nothing wrong with him physically, but mentally…"_

_When did I get a tattoo?!_ Luskey asked off camera. _"And who's Rosebud?!"_

" _It seems he's forgotten the last 10 years of if life."_

"What do you think caused that?" Chief asked.

" _I'm not quite certain. I've been trying cues, but—"_

" _Is that Chief?"_ Luskey interrupted. _"Charlie! I just had the best idea! What if we build a library out of recyclables?"_

Chief's comm began to beep.

"Uh, have to call you back, Mayor," Chief turned off his phone and answered his comm. "This is Chief. Go ahead."

" _Sir, there's been an accident,"_ Chase said.

Xxx

Chase continued. "Blades was monitoring the police radio when he got a distress signal. Two spelunkers are trapped by a cave-in on Mt. Griffin."

Xxx

"Why didn't they call us directly?" Chief asked.

" _I am not sure, sir. Blades said the radio signal was very faint."_

"There's no cameras underground to spot them. We better hurry."

Xxx

Emerald tagged along with the team to help them.

"This cave's been closed to people for years. It's too unstable," Graham said. "I wonder how anyone got in."

"What matters is getting them out," Heatwave said. He pushed the largest boulder out of the way and some smaller rocks fell.

"Look out!" Chief shouted.

"This cavern is too dangerous for humans. We should go in alone," 'Blades' said.

"Since when do I avoid danger?" Dani asked. "And since when do you volunteer for it?"

"There's no time to argue. The people inside could be hurt and running out of air," Boulder said.

"Go ahead, but be careful," Chief warned.

The bots went deep into the cave and arrived at the cave-in, which Heatwave knocked down.

"Feel free to assist him _anytime_ , First Aid," Chroma said.

"My EMPs aren't working," 'First Aid' said.

They walked into the cavern, which was completely empty, except for…

"Morocco?" Heatwave asked.

Morocco pointed a gas gun at them.

"Retreat!" Heatwave ordered.

'Blades' and 'First Aid' blocked the exit.

"What the frag, guys?!" Emerald asked.

Morocco sprayed them.

Xxx

"Rescue Bots, report. What's going on in there?" Chief asked. "Rescue Bots, do you copy?"

The 'bots' emerged from the cave.

"Chase, why didn't you answer me?" Chief asked.

"I was busy," 'Chase' said.

"What about the spelunkers?" Graham asked.

"There were no humans to rescue," 'Boulder' said.

"The call was a prank," 'Heatwave' said.

Xxx

"Weird," Cody said. "And Blades was the only one who heard it."

"Maybe he's got heightened senses," K-9 said.

"No… it's more like… _Invasion of the Rescue Bot Snatchers_!"

"Should we call Jackie?"

xxx

the three original bots were straining against the magnetic wall.

"Morocco… Blades and First Aid—how could they?" Heatwave asked.

"I don't believe it was them. Although I completely enjoyed their dedication to work, it is not in their behavior," Chase said.

"That's better than them being groomed. Ugh! I can't believe I said that."

"I knew Graham shouldn't have kept that sample of meteor. Morocco must have stolen it and used its virus to capture us," Boulder said.

"I just hope our mates—current and former—are safe," Chase said.

"Well, I don't intend to stay captured. I'm going to get us out and get answers," Heatwave said. He freed his arm and sprayed the computer console with water, freeing the mechs. "Rescue Bots, roll to the exit!"

Boulder took out the door, revealing…

"Who's rap, rap, rapping at my door?" Morocco asked before steeling their memories.

"Where—where are we?" Heatwave looked around.

Xxx

"Well, that wraps up our shift, Chase," Chief said. "Let's head back for dinner. I'm starving."

"As you command, Chief Burns," 'Chase' sped off faster than usual.

"Whoa! Chase, take it easy."

Xxx

Graham and 'Boulder' were working on the platform lever.

"Boulder, can you hand me an Allen wrench?" Graham asked.

'Boulder' handed him a sink plunger (A/N: yes, that's what it was).

"That… is not a wrench," Graham said. "Nice joke, bud."

Chief and 'Chase' sped in.

"Family meeting. Upstairs," Chief said when he got out.

Xxx

The human half of the team was gathered in the living room.

"Something's up with the bots," Chief said.

"Yeah, Chroma hasn't been herself," Ally said. "She hasn't talked about anything the right way. She always has something to say."

"First Aid wasn't really one for words," Raychel said.

"Mostly my fault," T.J admitted. "Made a BAD first impression."

"They're not acting like themselves," Cody said.

"Yeah, I noticed that, too," Dani said.

"They've been acting weird lately," Graham said.

"They even smell different," K-9 said.

"Heatwave's been great. No arguing. No complaining," Kade then realized what was going on. "What's wrong with him?!"

"I'm not sure," Chief said. "Why don't we all talk with our partners, see if we can ask them what's bothering them."

"Jackie might have noticed it first with Blades and First Aid," Cody said. "She says we can see their eyes even with their visors on."

"So, if we don't see their eyes… they're knock-offs?" T.J. asked.

"We better ask her and Lindsy about Emerald," Chief said.

"Oh, god. I hope everyone's okay," Ally said.

Xxx

Ionix exited the groundbridge onto the _Broadside_.

"I see we got the same message from Jackie," Razor said. "Air Raid's joined the search."

"All my guys have been sent out. Couple in space," Ionix said.

"What about Joyce?"

"Holdin' down the fort. So what do we do?"

"Hold down the fort, watching life signal monitors, prep the sick bay, get ready to contact Ratchet."

"Contact Ratchet? Why?"

"Given the time that has elapsed between Jackie attacking Rotors and the likelihood they have healing stasis pods… we have to be ready for worst case scenario."

"First Aid… being killed?"

"That too."

"He-he wouldn't! First Aid's legally an adult!"

"Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped Rotors before."

Xxx

"Hey, Heatwave, can I ask you a question?" Cody asked.

"If you wish to," 'Heatwave' asked.

"Remember when you first came here to Griffin Rock? I took you to see a drive-in movie. What was it about?"

"I do not recall."

"Sure you do. Just think."

'Heatwave' knelt down to his height. "Perhaps you should go outside and play, young Burns."

"Heatwave, why can't I see your eyes?"

'Heatwave' just left.

Cody pressed his comm. "Dad, I think Jackie's right."

Xxx

Emerald slowly woke up and found herself strapped down to a large metal table.

"Well, you're up early," a male voice said.

Emerald looked around and saw Chroma still unconscious and strapped on another large metal table next to her. She then saw a military looking man with scars on his face.

"Y'all having problems getting a girl on your own?" Emerald joked.

"What? No," the man said. "I am Silas. A colleague of mine sold you to me. My army is interested in your biology, what makes you tick. You'll have plenty of time to rest up while we wait for the surgeons."

Xxx

"You know who this is, of course," Morocco gestured to the computer as he spoke to Heatwave, Chase, and Boulder.

"Optimus Prime, our leader," Heatwave said.

"Top marks, Heatwave. Optimus made me your liaison on this planet. You probably don't remember, but he helped you scan your vehicle modes for your assignment."

"Is it a rescue mission, sir?" Chase asked.

"Of sorts. And there are those who would thwart you for it," Morocco changed the picture to the Burnses and one of Jackie. "These dangerous criminals will stop at nothing to prevent your work. They are not to be trusted."

"Even the little one?" Boulder asked.

"Especially the little one."

"What about the one in a visor and helmet?" Heatwave pointed at the picture of Jackie.

"Oh, those are her glasses and hair. She will not hesitate to kill you. She has done so before. You are only to follow orders from me… or your mission leader, Blades."

The door opened revealing a very proud Blades.

"With all due respect, Doctor, usually _I_ lead the team," Heatwave said.

"Well, this time, Optimus chose _me_ ," Blades said. "Unless, you're questioning a Prime's direct command?"

"Oh…" Heatwave groaned. _Maybe this'll be good for him. Get him a spine._

Xxx

The team was at Griffin Crest with the 'bots'.

"Jackie, Cody, are you sure this'll work?" Dani asked.

"There's no way the bots will walk into the EMP zone, they know it'll shut them off," Cody said.

"And I'll maim one if they don't, just to be safe," Jackie said, eyes turning blue and hair getting blue highlights.

"So, if the bots follow our orders, they're fakes?" Kade asked.

"Or someone gets maimed," Lindsy said.

"Only one way to find out," Chief turned to the 'bots'. "Rescue Bots, enter that area."

"As you command," 'Heatwave' said.

All the 'big bots' entered Griffin Crest and powered off.

"Aw, I don't get to maim anyone today," Jackie pouted.

"I'll ask Optimus to take you 'con hunting later," Lindsy said. She then walked over to 'Emerald's' shin, transformed her right arm into a blade, and opened the automaton's hide. "This isn't a mechanoid, and the others probably aren't either."

"'Mechanoid'? What does that mean?" Kade asked.

"A mechanoid is the scientific term for us," Brains said.

"Like _homo erectus_ or _homo sapian_ ," Jackie said. "But for them it's _mecha cyber_ or _mecha velocity_."

"So, where are our mechanoids?" Dani asked.

"Someone must have taken them. Why else make such accurate replacements?" Chief said. "Whoever did this didn't want us to find out our partners are gone."

"Can't be _mecha shiftus_ that Rotors could have," Jackie said. "Pretty sure they're extinct or almost."

"How do we get them back, Dad?" Kade asked.

"I'm not sure, son. I'm not sure," Chief said.

"I told Ionix when I first saw our medics acting weird and sent Buzzsaw to help. Worked last time," Jackie said.

Xxx

"I'm tired of waiting. When can my robots start mining gold?" Madeline asked Morocco.

"Patience, Madeline. The bots are ready now, but tunneling to the gold will take weeks," Morocco said. "They're completely landlocked."

"Good thing I brought a key," Pynch pulled out the phaser.

"Doctor Greene's phasing device. I'm disappointed you didn't trust me to steal it for you."

"Trust is earned, Thadius. Bring me that gold, then we'll talk."

"I assure you, you won't be disappointed."

"I know. Because if I am, _you'll_ pay for it."

Xxx

Cody and Frankie were sitting outside the firehouse.

"We've tried everything, Frankie, but the bots' comms are off, and there's nothing on the island cameras," Cody sighed. "They might not even be together. I'm worried they're in serious trouble."

"My daddy can help. We'll track down the bots, Cody. Promise," Frankie said.

"Thanks, Frankie. It's just… like losing a part of my family, you know?"

"Yeah, I do," Frankie put a sympathetic hand on Cody's shoulder.

Jackie walked up to them with what looked like a first aid kit. "Can you help me with something?"

Xxx

"It is time. Rescue Bots, prepare for your mission," Morocco said.

The bots put on the phase bits.

"This phasing technology will let you travel through rock," Morocco continued. "When you reach your target, collect all the gold you find."

"Excuse me, sir, but is there any actual _rescue_ involved?" Heatwave asked.

"Heatwave…" Blades trailed.

"Oh, yes," Morocco said. "The humans of Earth are reliant upon your success. If there are no more question… just _follow_ my submarine," Morocco drove his submarine and the bots followed him all the way to a rock wall, which the bots phased through.

Blades pulled out what looked like a smartphone. "According to the map, _this_ is where we start digging."

The bots turned off their phasers.

"Blades, don't you think it's a little strange how our first mission on this planet is _mining_?" Heatwave asked.

"Perhaps gold is like energon to the humans—their lifeblood and source of energy," Chase said.

"I analyzed Morocco. He only has _traces_ of gold in his system," Boulder said.

"Look, it doesn't matte _why_ we're doing this. It's what _Optimus Prime_ ordered," Blades said.

"How do you know? Did you actually _speak_ to him?" Heatwave asked.

"Well, no, but… I think we can trust Doctor Morocco. Hello, _he's_ a doctor! Now let's get going already!" Blades got out his Energizer.

"Wait, Blades! I'm detecting the presence of methane in this chamber," Boulder said. "One spark could cause an explosion."

Blades looked at his Energizer hammer. "Well, I guess we can still follow orders _carefully_." He put down the Energizer down…

… but it tipped over and caused an explosion.

Xxx

The Protectobots and Fire-bots looked in shock at the explosion on the island the Rescue Bots were stationed on.

"Hurry up and land!" Firestar and Groove screamed at Blades.

"On it! You guys upload the alt modes that were sent to us," Blades said.

Xxx

Cody and Frankie had finished injecting dragon-soon-to-be-Predacon Jackie with the main four Rescue Bot phenotypes when they heard the explosion.

Xxx

The team arrived at the crater.

"Stay back, folks. This ground is unstable," Chief said.

Some rocks at the bottom began to move.

"Dad, I think someone's down there!" Cody said.

The twins and Dani got their first aid kits from Predacon Jackie.

The four original bots' hands reached up and Jackie let her tail down. When they grabbed on she pulled them out.

"Is it really them?" Chief asked.

"Heatwave! You're back!" Cody cheered.

"Uh, weren't there _seven_ last time?" Ally asked.

"It is the criminals Doctor Morocco warned us about," Chase said.

"What should we do?" Boulder asked.

"I'll take care of this," Heatwave stepped forward.

"Heatwave, it's me, Cody," Cody tried to remind them. "Don't you recognize me?"

"Stay back, human," Heatwave aimed his water jets at them. "This is your only warning."

Jackie, who was now by the lighthouse, raised her wings a bit, hunched her back like a cat, and growled, explosive gas escaping her maw.


	37. Rise of the Heroes

"Stay back, human," Heatwave aimed his water jets at them. "This is your only warning."

Predacon Jackie, who was now by the lighthouse, raised her wings a bit, hunched her back like a cat, and growled, explosive gas escaping her maw.

"Heatwave, I think THAT'S OUR only warning!" Blades pointed at the Predacon.

Heatwave lowered his hands.

"Heatwave, you really don't know me?" Cody asked as the team approached them.

"Oh, aren't you a sight for sore eyes," said Chief Burns.

"What happened to you guys?" Kade asked.

"We've been so worried!" Dani said.

"Where's First Aid?!" the twins asked.

"And Chroma and Emerald?!" Ally added.

"Uh, why are they being so nice?" Heatwave asked.

"Perhaps this affable enthusiasm is a fiendish ploy to disorient us," Chase suggested.

"So, what's our move?" Boulder asked.

"Yeah. What's our move?" Blades asked.

The bots glared at him.

"Oh. You're asking me. Okay. Take—AAH!" Jackie grabbed Blades in her maw. "HELP!"

"Jackie! Put him down NOW!" Dani ordered.

Jackie loosened her jaw grip and Blades got out.

"You guys dent your heads or something?" Kade asked.

"No, they don't recognize us," Cody said. "Their memories are gone, just like the mayor!"

The island suddenly shook, knocking down the humans.

A 'tsunami' then came at them.

The bots protected the humans while Jackie used her wingspan to shield the bots like Groot did in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1'.

Several other bots approached.

"Why'd you change your mind?" Heatwave asked.

"Enemies or not, it doesn't seem like what 'rescuers' would do," Blades said.

Jackie got defensive again after shaking herself dry.

"Is everyone okay?" Chief asked.

"Yeah. But what just happened?" Kade asked.

"Exactly what I was thinking!" A red femme said as the other bots ran up to them.

"Oh, boy," Heatwave took a few steps away from the other bots.

"Who are those guys?" T.J. asked.

"I'm Firestar and this is my mate, Inferno," the femme said as her mate walked up to her. "Those other mechs are Protectobots."

"Wait, are you guys First Aid's old team?" Cody asked.

The blue fire-bot nodded.

"What was that? A tidal wave?" Dani asked.

"If that were the case, the water should be receding," Graham said.

"I saw what looked like a ripple around the island's perimeter," the red and grey hover said.

"I wonder if the explosions are to blame," Boulder said.

"Yeah, about that—" Kade said.

Jackie growled at the bots.

"Tell us what's going on. What were you doing underground?" Chief asked.

"We were told to mine the—"

"Uhp-uhp-uhp!" Blades interrupted Boulder. "Say nothing until we receive new orders."

"Orders? From whom?" Dani crossed her arms.

Jackie looked at the others with a curious growl.

"I'm pretty sure it's proper grammar, Jackie," Ally said.

"From Doctor—"

"Uhp-uhp-uhp!" Blades interrupted Chase.

"Blades, I think—"

"Uhp!" Blades interrupted Hetwave.

"But we need to know what's happening to the island," Graham said.

"Just come home with us, and you can contact Optimus. He'll tell you we're your friends," Cody said.

"We'll go with you," Streetwise said.

"We'll even help if they double cross us," Groove added.

"I'm sorry. Does that _not_ sound like a trap to anyone else?" Blades asked.

"I say it's worth checking out," Heatwave said. "Besides, we got back up."

"Good. Time's wasting. Rescue Bots, vehicle mode!" Chief said.

"Uh, why?" Boulder asked.

"You're not thinking of occupying our seats, are you?" Chase asked.

Heatwave's parents and the Protectobots sighed.

"Look, if you're not comfortable with it, we'll let them sit in our seats," Firestar said.

"No, you WON'T!" Heatwave stood in front of his carrier. "I WON'T allow it!"

Chief sighed. "Of course not. Follow us."

The humans got into their vehicles, Jackie took off, and the bots started to follow them.

Blades stayed behind but followed them when the ground shook again.

The other hover put his hand on Blades' shoulder. "My team has to go look for our teammate. We can't help you. His life may be in danger. You understand, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do," Blades said.

Xxx

Darksyde walked into First Aid's room with some energon. "I thought you might be a bit famished, so I brought you a drink."

"Can I ask a question?" First Aid asked.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Wh-why does Rotors… _want_ me? Why does he want my—" First Aid started to cry as he drew his knees to his chest.

Darksyde sat down next to him. "I'm not sure. In fact, I'm jealous. I want him to take me instead."

"WHAT?! Why do you want him in you?!"

"I'm in love."

"How can you fall in love with-with that MONSTER?!"

"Look, I can't explain why Rotors is the way he is or why he's obsessed with you, but I'm going to try and help you. I'll stall him, okay?"

First Aid just drank the energon. He couldn't trust anyone else anymore, or would for a while.

Xxx

Chroma stirred awake.

"Hey, Chroma," Emerald said. "Don't try to move, we're trapped by American terrorists."

"Don't tell me, it's M.E.C.H., isn't it?" Chroma asked.

"What does that stand for?"

"Like you'll ever know," Silas said.

"So, when the docs coming? I'm getting mighty bored!"

Silas looked at his phone. "You're correct. They should be here by now. Excuse me, ladies." He exited the room.

One of the soldiers turned to the femmes. "Your species has two sexes, right?"

"Yeah, where's this going?" Chroma asked.

"Do you have sex and have babies like humans?"

"Ugh!" Chroma closed her eyes and banged her head on the table.

"Yep," Emerald said.

"Okay, that was it," the soldier said.

Xxx

Darksyde entered First Aid's room again.

"D-does Rotors want me now?" First Aid asked.

"No. I convinced him to get a check-up. One that'll take three hours," Darksyde said. "I need you to do something."

"What? Why?"

"All gestalt members, current and former, can communicate with one another with their sparks, granted they combined. Now, since you combined, you have the ability to do so."

"But if I do that, Rotors will find out!"

"No, he can't," Darksyde handed him a medical file. "He was born with a medical condition preventing him from proper spark bonds."

"But, he bonded with Heatwave."

"No, in a one-on-one bond he can find the right memories from the bot, but he can't find the bot afterward, just like he can't find his old team. That means, if you try to contact him via gestalt bond, he'll be none the wiser."

"I've… never contacted my team before."

"Do your best."

Xxx

"We can reach Optimus from _here_ … a _garage_?" Heatwave asked.

"Of course not," Graham said.

"We're taking you down to the _secret_ bunker," Dani said.

Kade flipped the switch and the lift went down.

"… Where no one can here you SCREAM!" Blades said.

"Oh, mech up!" Inferno said.

Most of the bots got defensive.

"It IS a trap!" Chase said.

"Think again," Lindsy said as they entered the bunker.

"A pretender?" Boulder asked as the bots processed the scene.

"Don't forget us," K-9 said as he, Wheelie, and Brains waved at them.

Jackie walked in, a bit smaller than before.

"How can we be sure to trust you?" Firestar asked.

"Look over there," Cody pointed to the command center.

The team let them in.

"Hey, that's our equipment," Heatwave said.

"From our ship!" Boulder exclaimed.

"Now, let's not jump to conclusions, mechs," Firestar said.

"The ship's in the hanger," Brains said.

Inferno tried the telecommunications. "Yeah, it's broken."

"Told you," Blades whispered to his team.

"Guys, maybe they're telling the truth," Boulder gestured to the picture of them, a couple other bots, and the humans.

"We took that photo on the one-year anniversary of your arrival," Chief said.

"We've been here THAT long? Then, what's our mission?" Heatwave asked.

"To be our rescue partners, and to learn the ways of humans," Dani said.

"All humans of different cultures," Ally added.

Jackie gave a growl.

"And about how transmutates get along with small communities," Lindsy said.

"Oh! I've never seen one before! Or… maybe I have," Boulder said.

"And you became our best friends," Cody said.

"Well, I don't know about best—"

T.J. then elbowed Kade in the ribs.

"—okay, top two or three," Kade said.

The bots looked at Blades.

"Fine," Blades crossed his arms. "Tell them everything."

"Doctor Morocco had us mining for gold under the island," Heatwave said.

"Morocco," Chief repeated.

"That explains plenty," Graham said.

"We were also presented with phasing technology that allowed us to enter caverns," Chase said.

"Could come in handy," Firestar said.

"They're very useful. If only we didn't lose them in the explosion," Boulder said.

"Wait, the same tech Doc Greene was making for his client?" Cody asked.

"Not just any client," Chief said. "Doc did some research and came up with a name—"

"Madeline Pynch," Ally said as Chief showed them the picture on his phone.

"The original gold digger," Dani said.

"I don't think Priscilla's dad is old," T.J. said.

"I think she said she was 'an IVF baby and proud of it' when she took Jackie's side in a livestock breeding argument one time," Raychel said.

"Oh, yeah. Those PETA vegan Nazis," Wheelie said.

"Now, _that_ was funny!" K-9 said.

"Morocco and Pynch on one team? No wonder something blew up," Kade said.

"Those caverns—they were full of methane gas. Only took a spark," Boulder said.

"There must have been a chain reaction when other pockets of methane exploded. Now all the other tunnels are collapsing, lowering the island," Graham said.

"Yeah, we're new to this planet and know that's a bad thing," Inferno said.

"So, it's true. Griffin Rock IS sinking," Dani said.

"Probably won't be anything left but the mountain tops," Graham said.

"We'll need to evacuate… forever," Cody said.

"I'll call the mayor," Chief said.

"I'll call the coast guard for boats," Dani said.

"I'll issue a warning telling people to get to higher ground," Graham said.

"Jackie, head to the _Broadside._ I'll help with herding livestock. K-9, coming?" Lindsy asked as Jackie left.

"On it," K-9 said.

"And I'll warm up some hot wings," Kade said.

"Yeah!" T.J. high-fived him.

Everyone glared at them.

"What? We may not eat for a while," Kade said.

"Yeah, Jackie'd take their side," Wheelie said.

Cody walked to the bots. "I guess it's good you guys don't have memories of Griffin Rock. Saying good-bye will be a lot easier for you," he started to leave.

"What did we do?" Heatwave asked.

The island shook again.

Xxx

Ionix looked at Hot Spot, Groove, and Streetwise as they appeared to meditate.

"What are they doing?" he asked Razor.

"They're thying to find First Aid with their gestalt bond," Razor said. "I just hope they aren't scaring him."

The Protectobot Blades walked up to them with dragon Jackie.

"I got the _Defender_ ready," Blades said. "Also, why is the techno-organic Predacon getting smaller?"

"Well, that Predacon's actually a transmutate," Razor said.

Two earadicons walked by.

"Why are there Decepticons here?" Blades whispered.

"We're a mobile base, but favor the Autobots. The Decepticons want to scrap Rotors, too," Razor said.

"So, we're working together?"

"Yep," Razor took a datapad from Jackie. "Oh, Primus! It looks like First Aid may have been kidnapped by a human named 'Doctor Morocco'. He's had ties to evil rich humans, it's not much of a stretch that he may have sold First Aid. I'm not sure if he knew what he was doing."

The other Protectobots ran up to them.

"We think we found First Aid!" Groove said.

"Protectobots, let's save and secure!" Hot Spot said.

Everyone stared at him.

"Let's just go," Hot Spot said.

"Earadicons, let's head out!" Ionix ordered.

Razor put her hand on his shoulder. "No. we have to stay here and let Ratchet and Optimus know what's going on. We also don't need to worry about _two_ young mechs captured by that creep. Understand?"

Ionix nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Earadicons, listen to the Protectobots!"

Xxx

Chroma turned her head to Emerald. 'What do we do?' she mouthed.

'Don't worry. I got this,' Emerald mouthed back.

The surgeons walked in.

"What the hell took you so long?" Silas asked.

"Our plane was being refueled. It won't happen again, sir," one of them said.

The surgeons started to get their machines ready. Other medics started to disable the femmes' pain receptors.

"So, Silas, what do you plan on doing to us?" Emerald asked.

"We will dissect you and study your anatomy, and you ladies have a front row seat. Quite an honor," Silas said.

"Hmm… as much _fun_ as that sounds, I'm afraid we're gonna have to decline," Emerald transformed her arms into chain saws and freed herself.

Xxx

Cody checked the commtab and saw a burning propane truck floating by a building with people on said building.

Chief turned to the bots. "Boulder, Chase, move that tanker before it blows. Heatwave, douse the structure fire. Blades, get those people off the roof. And you're all taking your partners."

"You got it," Heatwave said as the bots transformed and let the humans in while Dani and Blades went to the helipad.

"Cody, check for other emergencies."

The team drove to the emergency along with Firestar and Inferno.

Blades and Dani landed on the roof of the building and Blades opened his canopy.

"Get in! hurry!" Dani said to the couple on the roof.

They didn't need to be told twice.

Firestar started on the fire as Chase, Boulder, Heatwave, and Inferno moved to the tanker. Heatwave joined his mother as Inferno attempted to put out the tanker fire. (Guess who's the mama's boy.)

"Submerge the whole truck," Chief ordered.

Chase Boulder, and Inferno pushed the truck under the water that was flooding the streets, extinguishing the flames.

Xxx

The Protectobots followed their sparks to Rotors' ship.

"Hot Spot, how are we gonna save First Aid?" Streetwise asked.

"The earadicons will draw their attention, and—assuming they can shoot straight—take out some of Rotors, mechs, if possible. We'll combine into Defensor and get First Aid to safety," Hot Spot said.

"Wait, are we combining WITH First Aid?! Can he even handle that?!" Groove asked.

"We can still carry him out as Defenesor. I never said we had to combine with him."

"Let's do this. It's now or never," Blades said.

The bots got ready to save First Aid.

Xxx

Ratchet opened the groundbridge and Chroma and Emerald entered the base, covered in human blood.

"What in the AllSpark happened to you?" Ratchet asked.

"This Doctor Morocco botnapped us and then sold us to other people. At least, I think he did. Chroma and I were knocked out, and when we woke up, we were strapped down by these M.E.C.H. guys," Emerald said.

"And guess who got us out with as many causalities as possible," Chroma put her hands on her hips and turned her head to the green femme.

"Wh-what about First Aid?" Ratchet asked.

"We haven't seen him since Doctor Morocco botnapped us. I'm sorry."

"Ratchet, do not worry. I will contact Razor," Optimus said as he walked to the vidcomm screen.

" _Oh, hey, Optimus,"_ Air Raid greeted.

"We've just received information that First Aid had gone missing. Can you—"

" _We're already on it. Hot Spot's leading the charge."_

"The Protectobots have already arrived on earth? Why did you not inform us earlier?"

" _Well, we_ do _have a botnapping situation going on. We'll update you A.S.A.P."_ Air Raid cut the transmission.

"I-I think I need to sit down," Ratchet said as he walked to a crate to sit on.

Xxx

When the team returned to the firehouse it had become beachfront property.

"Cody, any other calls?" Chief asked.

"No, everyone made it to the mountains. But evacuation boats are still an _hour_ out," Cody said.

"Look, if part of our mission is keeping you safe, then you need to head for the hills, too," Heatwave said.

"No. we're emergency responders. We're staying put," Kade said.

"We hold to a similar oath," Chase said.

"So we're in this together?" Boulder asked.

"That's Prime's end goal," Firestar said.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Chief said. "But now we need a plan."

"Yeah, some way to stop those tunnels from collapsing anymore," Graham said.

"How come the train tunnel's holding up?" Cody asked as he showed them the image of the tunnel.

"Uh, it must be because we reinforced that area with hardening foam," Dani said.

"Then why can't we use the foam on the other tunnels?"

"We can use repair parts from our ship, too," Inferno said.

"Except you crashed it on that ringed planet," Firestar put her hands on her hips.

"Uh, foam it is."

"Graham?" Chief asked.

"It might, if we hurry and disperse it at least through the main tunnels," Graham said.

"You need speed, we're your rides," Heatwave said.

"Then let's get to Doc's," Kade said.

"Hello?" a voice said. "Hello?! Hello!"

Everyone turned in the direction of the voice.

"Uh-oh. That sounds like…" Boulder trailed.

"Is anyone there?" a suddenly old Morocco asked as his broken submarine floated into view.

The bots walked towards the man.

"My Rescue Bots. Thank the distant stars," Morocco said. "I hereby instruct you to track down my stolen _Nemo_."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but unh-unh!" Blades wagged his finger.

"Have you forgotten you work for me?"

"Not anymore, Morocco," Chief said as the humans walked in front of the bots.

Heatwave's creators stood on either side of the bots.

"Erasing their memories doesn't change who they are," Cody said.

"They're heroes, not your minions," Dani said.

"Ah. Hello. I'd greet you properly, but my sub is disabled," Morocco said.

"Due, not that I normally care about appearances, but you're looking old," Kade said.

"Did you look in the Ark of the Covenet?" T.J. asked.

"Poor movie jokes aside, it's only temporary, I assure you. Nothing that's been done cannot be undone—age, memories," Morocco said.

"You're saying _restore_ the bots' memories?" Graham asked.

"Of course, if only the technology were not in the hands of Madeline Pynch."

"Sounds like someone got double-crossed," Dani said.

"So, if we track down your sea lab, then what?" Chief asked.

"Then we all get on with our lives," Morocco said.

"Forget it. We're not leaving until we save this island," Heatwave said.

"Uh, no! I mean, you'll never catch her if you wait. And your memories will be gone forever."

"Then so be it," Boulder said.

"Where ever there is an emergency, there will be Rescue Bots ready to serve, save, and protect," Chase said.

"Vehicle modes!" Blades ordered and his team transformed.

The humans entered the bots except for the twins.

"I'd say don't leave town, but it looks like you're stuck here," Chief said.

The bots transformed and again and started to walk to Doc Greene's lab.

Firestar and Inferno carried the twins to the sub.

"Alright, time lord! Where the fucking hell is First Aid?!" T.J. grabbed Morocco by the shirt.

"I don't know!" Morocco said. "Another Autobot. He paid me to get First Aid. I-I assumed that he needed a medic on hand."

"How do you know he was an Autobot?" Raychel asked.

"He more or less said he was the same species: Autobot."

Firestar slammed the side of the sub. "That is a faction! Our species is _Cybertronian_! Who-whoever you sold him to could have been a Decepticon or a rogue neutral!"

"You have any audio files from him?" Inferno asked. "I'll see if I can I.D. who it is."

"It's in the sub's computer. I'll show you," Morocco said.

Xxx

First Aid's optics were getting heavy. This team bond was taking its toll on him, but he had to keep it up. It was the only way he could be saved.

Xxx

Jackie had been given a Predicon shot and was glaring at Groove.

Groove was trying not to make eye contact. "Blades, can you make your pet stop staring at me? It's kinda freaking me out."

Jackie growled.

"I don't think she likes you," Blades gave her another shot.

"What did you give her?" Groove asked.

"Razor wanted us to try out this serum. She said it might help her communicate in this form. Help her vocal cords."

One of the earadicons walked up to them. "We're attacking the ship now. Whoa!" the earadicon got out of the way as Jackie ran past him.

"Well, someone likes to hunt," Groove said.

Xxx

"These little wonders are actually a project I've been developing for Kade and Heatwave," Doc said as he handed boxes of red and yellow disks to the team. "Toss them into a fire, press a trigger on a remote, and poomph! They release flame retardant."

"Only now we loaded them with hardening foam instead," Frankie said.

"Hardening foam that expands, at least enough to inflate those tunnels to their original size."

"But how do we get past all those obstacles down there?" Graham asked.

"By using these," Cody held up a familiar object. "Phase bits."

"We still have four working prototypes that will let you dissolve right through the rock," Frankie said.

"Where do we start, Doc?" Chief asked.

"The underground junction by the school. It's still above water," Doc said.

"Kade, I'm with you," Ally said as she hopped in Heatwave.

Cody opened Chase's door.

"Sorry, son. This one's too dangerous," Chief said.

"More dangerous than a sinking island?" Cody got in, closed the door, and buckled up. "I wanna be with my family, Dad." He gave his father a big smile.

"Rescue Bots, soar to the rescue!" Blades ordered.

"Why are _you_ calling the shots?" Dani asked.

"That's what team leaders do, silly."

"But _Heatwave's_ the team leader."

"Really? What a relief!"

"Pff. I'll say," Heatwave said. "Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue!"

The bots headed to the school.

Xxx

The earadicons were attacking Rotors' ship while Jackie got the Protectobots on board.

"Never did a rescue involving _us_ breaking and entering," Groove said as he looked at the hole Jackie made.

"Bots, get your weapons ready," Hot Spot said. "Comm if you find First Aid. Jackie, if you find First Aid, bring him to one of us."

" **Ye-ye-yeah** _ **,"**_ Jackie chocked out.

"Guess that shot's working," Blades said as they dispersed.

Xxx

Streetwise ran down his hall, killing Rotors' minions as he did so. He opened every door he came across.

This wasn't the best strategy, as one of the doors he opened led to the sick bay, where Rotors was.

"Nighty-night!" Rotors said as he injected the mech with a fast-acting tranquilizer.

Streetwise almost immediately fainted.

Xxx

Groove had shot several of Rotors' minions when his spark told him his twin was in danger.

He turned around and took advantage of his new vehicle mode to get to his twin's location in the brig.

Streetwise was unconscious.

"Brother, snap out of it!" Groove shook Streetwise and felt a clawed hand on his shoulder.

"Why, hello, _Groove,_ " Rotors purred as he dug his claws into Groove's shoulder, spilling energon. "Long time no see."

"Bastard!"

Xxx

Hot Spot had reopened old wounds fighting Rotors' minions and was fainting when he was captured.

Xxx

Blades pressed his comm. "Guys, any luck?" static. "Hello?" more static. "Scrap."

Jackie galloped up to Blades covered in energon.

" **You see the other?"** she asked.

"No one's answering their comm," Blades said.

" **I think I found First Aid."**

"Lead the way."

Blades followed the transmutate to a door.

Blades opened the door and saw Darksyde sitting on a berth with First Aid.

" _You_ ," Blades aimed his blaster at the other hover's helm. "Don't do anything stupid."

Darksyde picked First Aid up by the shoulders and under the knees, and handed him to Blades. "Rotors doesn't deserve him."

Jackie snarled at the mech.

"Where's the rest of my team?" Blades asked.

Darksyde gave them a holomap with two highlighted rooms. "Either the brig or the sick bay."

First Aid held onto Blades.

"I'm taking him back to our ship," Blades said.

Darksyde pressed his comm. "Rotors, the Protectobot known as 'Blades' is deceased."

" _Very good. Keep watching First Aid for me. I_ may _give_ you _a_ treat _,"_ Rotors purred.

"Much appreciated," Darksyde turned off his comm. "I assume that the—what's the human term for Predicons?"

"Dragons, I believe," Blades said.

"I assume that the dragon will rescue your comrades?"

" **Yeah** ," Jackie said.

Darksyde's jaw dropped. "Did that thing just-?"

"Yep," Blades said.

"That's new," First Aid said.

"Look, we need Rotors to think that First Aid was taken by someone else. One of you is going have to make this look good," Darksyde said.

Jackie purred as she smiled.

Xxx

Streetwise slowly woke up. "What… what happened?"

"Rotors happened," Groove said.

Hot Spot, Streetwise, and Groove were each strapped to a metal table.

Hot Spot had an energon I.V. in.

"Oh, great," Streetwise groaned.

Rotors opened the door to the sick bay, but did not enter. "Boys, once you're all better we're gonna play a little game."

"What game?!" Groove spat.

"The 'Can You Survive an Earth Serial Killer' game, of course! I'm considering the first being based off of the infamous H.H. Holmes."

" **One of my personal favorites,"** a certain dragon said.

Rotors then ran out screaming like a bitch.

Jackie helped the Protectobots escape.

Xxx

"Phase on!" Kade said as the bots transformed and their passengers activated the phase bits.

The bots landed in the collapsing tunnel.

"Not much headroom," Ally said.

"Then we're going in on all fours," Heatwave said.

All the bots transformed into their respected alt modes, but Heatwave turned into a boat.

"What in the AllSpark?!" he questioned before correcting himself.

"Alright, heroes. Time to raise Griffin Rock from the sea," Chief said before they set off.

(Reminds me of when they raised Chicago; yes, it happened)

They went down four different tunnels.

Xxx

"I'll drive. You throw," Heatwave said to Kade and Ally.

Kade and Ally threw the disks.

"Oh, yeah! Three years as a paper boy. Bling!" Kade said.

"Maybe you can teach my youngest brother a thing or two," Ally said. "You won't believe how much stuff he broke."

Xxx

Graham tossed the disks he had.

Xxx

The collapsing tunnel hit Blades.

"AAH! Since I'm not the team leader, I won't pretend to do things I can't… like fly underground!" he said.

"You and I have done this before, Blades. Trust me. We'll own this," Dani told him.

Blades sighed. "Oh, boy."

He opened his canopy and Dani began tossing disks.

xxx

Cody and Chief threw their disks.

Xxx

The Greenes monitored them from their lab.

Xxx

Once they finished, they used the phase bits to exit the underground, scaring some fish.

Xxx

Jackie shot up.

"What is it, Jackie?" Groove asked as Blades patched his shoulder.

Jackie growled and laid down again.

Xxx

"Now, Doc!" Cody said.

Xxx

Doc pressed the button and the island rose to its original sea level, give or take.

"Excelsior!" Doc cheered.

"Whoo! Yeah!" Frankie high-fived her dad.

Xxx

"Alright!" Slayer said.

"Stampede!" Wheelie dove out of the way of startled livestock.

Slayer got trampled. "Call a medic…"

Xxx

Inferno carried Morocco to his angler fish sub and let him in.

Remember our deal," Raychel said as she and her brother crossed their arms.

"I get my age back and help save First Aid or I'll end up like the Nazis in _Indiana Jones and the Arc of the Covenant_ ," Morocco said. He entered the sub.

The others arrived.

"Now, wait a minute," Firestar said.

Morocco soon exited the sub with the memory ray.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't 'Doc Moroc'," Kade said.

"Where's your partner in crime?" Chief asked.

"Uh, Zipping to parts unknown in my escape pod, unfortunately. And I was unable to contact my other clients, but I thought _this_ might help," Morocco held up the ray.

Firestar knelt down to him. "Look, _if_ this thing brings back the boys' memories, you're still staying until we know the others are safe and sound."

Morocco shown the rays on the bots.

"Blades, what's your favorite TV show?" Dani asked.

"What's TV?" Blades asked.

"Oh, no."

"Well, he did say 'may help'," T.J. said.

"Perhaps it's delayed?" Morocco suggested.

Xxx

Chief had finished informing Firestar and Inferno on the Rotors incidents so they could help Heatwave if he got _those_ memories, and walked to his family. "Any progress?"

"After two scrapbooks, three photo albums, and a home movie, we got nothing," Kade said.

"But, Chase and Blades started to recognize Chroma and First Aid," Ally said.

"First Aid scares me," Blades whined.

"We've been over this, he's a good person," Dani said.

"Why did they mayor get his memory back right away and not the bots?" T.J. asked.

"I really hop it's a delay," Raychel said.

"It's okay. We can make new memories," Cody said.

"Absolutely," Heatwave said.

"I rather like this little human," Chase said.

"Happy thoughts!" Blades said.

"Even happier!" Lindsy said as she ran from the command center. "I just got word from Optimus and Razor: the femmes and First Aid are okay!"

"Now, let's see if we can't jog your memories again," Brains said.

Xxx

The team was going to play Rescue Ball while they waited for the others to arrive.

"All right. No triple-changing in the goal this time, Heatwave," Blades said.

"If it means you'll stop whining about it, then fine!" Heatwave said.

"I hope you brought your phase tech, Frankie," Boulder said.

"Objection. Last time that gave you an unfair advantage," Chase said.

"On three. One, two…" Heatwave noticed the humans, Pretender, Minibots, and Maximals starring. "What?"

"Everything you just said—those are memories!" Cody said.

"I guess it was delayed."

Everyone was cheering with joy.

"I also remember that you're a glory hog," Heatwave pointed at Kade.

"Who, me?" Kade stole the ball from Graham and ran.

They then began to play.

Xxx

Firestar didn't say anything as she looked at her son's medical file in anguish.

"You're still looking at that?" Inferno asked.

"We should have been more accepting. If we didn't push him away…" Firestar trailed.

"He still would have left. That fire-bot really shook him. Heck, that's why he even came out."

"Do you even still care for him? The only time you gave a damn was the genocide."

"Sorry. I just can't recognize him as my son. But no mech deserves what Rotors did to him."


	38. Jackie can't Sing

Chroma and Emerald exited the groundbridge into the bunker the next day.

"Chase!" Chroma jumped into her mate's arms and kissed him.

"Oh, dear!" Chase said in shock.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot you have amnesia."

Blades and Heatwave started to laugh.

"I can't believe you got laid!" Heatwave wiped a tear from his optic as he laughed.

Chase blushed as he held Chroma's hands.

"Why don't we go over to Jackie's?" Chroma asked.

"If she's more mature about me losing my virginity, then yes," Chase said.

Chroma led him to the tunnel.

"I'll go with them. Make sure they don't get lost," Emerald said.

"We'll catch up later," Boulder said. "Can't you act a _little_ more mature?" he asked the rest of his team.

"Because he's the first of us to lose it!" Blades said between laughs.

"I totally thought it would be me!" Heatwave said.

Firestar, who was walking by, dropped the energon glasses she was carrying.

The glass broke all over.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Heatwave ran over to his carrier.

"O-oh! Yes. I've just had a lot on my mind lately," Firestar said.

"I'll get some stuff to clean this up," Boulder said.

"Have you been getting your rations?" Blades asked.

"I-I have," Firestar said.

"I'll get some energon anyway," Blades went to get the ration.

"It was me again, wasn't it?" Heatwave sighed.

"A-a little bit," Firestar admitted.

"I know my origins and Inferno needs to accept that it was an accident."

"Accept that what was an accident?" Kade asked.

"None of your business!" both fire-bots said.

Xxx

Chief Burns and Ally were on patrol with Inferno.

"Ally, you've been a bit preoccupied today. Is something going on?" Chief asked.

"The chief of police back home got really sick and our department is very small. My town wants me to join the PD to help them keep the town safe. I-I want to help, but… I don't want to leave here. It's so cool!" Ally said.

"Well, if it's temporary, go for it," Inferno said.

"Great minds think alike," Chief said. "Inferno, if you don't mind me asking, what's your relationship with Heatwave like?"

"Yeah, shouldn't you be a bit more concerned about your thought-to-be-deceased son?" Ally asked.

"Well… it's tricky," Inferno said. "The extra biomech is one thing and I've come to accept his sexuality… but he isn't my son."

"He's your stepson?" Chief asked.

"No. He's not my son. I'll explain later."

Xxx

Chase and Chroma were at Emerald's, helping her Pretender and transmutate with cleaning the barn.

"Thanks for helping us," Lindsy said.

"Normally, Slayer would be guarding the animals, but he's recovering from yesterday's stampede," Wheelie said.

" _Whose fault was that?!"_ Slayer said over the comm.

"The island NOT SINKING," Jackie said.

"How long have Chroma and I been together?" Chase asked as he cleaned up some cobwebs.

"About six months," Lindsy said.

"And we were…?"

"Yes, Chase, we interfaced," Chroma said.

Chase blushed.

"Hey, Jackie, can you go check on First Aid for us?" Lindsy asked.

"Sure!" Jackie went T1 and flew off, starling Chase.

Chroma sighed. "I'll explain."

Xxx

Heatwave was looking all over the bunker and Sigma.

"What are you looking for, Heatwave?" Blades asked.

"I don't know. I think I lost something, but I don't know what it is," Heatwave said.

"Did you find anything?"

"I found some medicine in my medicine cabinet. I think it's recharge medicine," he handed Blades the medicine bottle.

"Looks like it was prescribed by a bot named 'Razor'. Maybe you should talk to them. I think there's a battleship for their base."

"Then I guess I'll take a look," Heatwave left the bunker.

Xxx

Chase, Chroma, and Emerald reentered the bunker.

"I wonder why we were called to this meeting by Chief Burns," Chase said.

"He's probably going to help you jog your memory," Chroma said.

The team gathered in the recreation area of the bunker.

Chief saw that everyone but Heatwave was there.

"Okay, where's Heatwave?" he asked.

"He's going to see if Razor can help him with his memories. He found medicine prescribed to him," Blades said.

"He remembered her?"

"Actually, I did."

"Well, I hope he doesn't get lost. Anyway, Heatwave's parents want to explain somethings about him."

"Blades, Boulder, Chase, as his team, I assume you already know of his hermathus," Firestar said.

"Yeah, it was one of the first things we talked about when we were ordered to get to know each other," Blades said.

"He seemed embarrassed, but it was somewhat mild, I guess that's why he told us," Boulder said.

"Although I found it to be too much information," Chase said.

"He was _so_ not cool with you going after him with stereotypes," Blades put his hands on his hips as he glared at Chase.

Everyone looked at Chase.

 _That explains why he acted the way he did at Heatwave's crush reveal,_ Chief thought.

 _How the hell did Heatwave a crush on him?!_ Kade thought.

Firestar glared at him. _"What_ stereotypes?" she stood threating.

"Chase, I suggest you keep your trap shut for the time being," Inferno said as he put his arm around his mate's waist.

"B—" Chase was cut off when Chroma put her servo over his mouth.

"Continue," Chroma said.

Firestar calmed herself and continued. "You should know why he has it. When Inferno and I were trying to start a family, I told him about my hermathus. In femmes, it causes problems with the ova. We went to a fertility doctor, but there was a mistake. Inferno doesn't carry the hermathus gene and we were going to—well, you get the picture—and use my healthiest ova to create a sparkling. There was a mix-up with the data and they used a donor who did carry the gene. When Heatwave came into being, we checked to see if he got it … and, well, h-he did."

Inferno looked away. "And that also meant I had to go on trial for bigamy charges."

"Inferno, those charges were dropped, and the clinic was sued. Anyway, when Heatwave was transitioning from child to adolescent, he noticed his body wasn't acting the way the other mechlings' bodies were. That was when we told him. He went into a depressed state, and we got him medicine to help him mature. He and Inferno argued almost weekly, with Heatwave threatening to find his 'real' father and live with him."

"And then there was that time he screamed at her that he should have been aborted."

"Which he apologized for. He came to terms when he was around the age of that girl who rides a horse everywhere, but he and Inferno have never gotten along since then."

"Uh, why did you tell us that?" Kade asked.

(A/N: because I wrote so, Kade. Because I wrote so.)

Xxx

Heatwave walked through the _Broadside_ trying to find the CMO.

As he continued to walk he heard horrid off-key singing.

"What in the…?" he walked toward the ear bleeding noise.

"All I wanna do

Is see you turn into

A giant robot

A giant robot!" the singer sang.

"For Primus' sake, Jackie! Stop singing!"

"We're not gonna combine!"

Heatwave walked into the room and saw the Protectobots he met, a medic, and a human teen 'singing'.

"A-hem!" Heatwave cleared his throat.

"Oh, hi, Heatwave," Jackie said.

The four Protectobots greeted him. The leader looked a bit ill.

The medic quickly embraced him in a hug.

"Woah, what?" Heatwave gently pushed the mech away.

"Oh, yeah," Blades said as he led First Aid back to the Protectobots. "Some members of your team have amnesia and didn't even remember the humans. You gotta give them some time to remember you."

Heatwave left and felt an evil glance.

The human then _flew_ next to him.

"Gah!" Heatwave backed up against the wall. "What the frag?!"

"Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to scare you. I'm a transmutate, remember? You're looking for Razor, right?" she asked.

"Y-yeah, I am."

"Follow me then."

Heatwave followed the transmutate to Razor's office.

"Heatwave wants to see you," Jackie said.

"Thank you, Jackie. You may leave," the femme said.

The transmutate left.

"Huh, you're Razor," Heatwave said. "I thought you were a mech. No offense."

"It's alright. I know you have amnesia," Razor said. "Do you have any questions?"

"Why am I taking this?" he handed her the medicine.

"Oh, you were having some bad dreams," Razor put the medicine in her desk. "You shouldn't need it for now."

"Shouldn't I still be taking it?"

"Let's see how you do without it for a while."

"I also noticed a scar on my lower abdomen. What happened?"

"You had a harmless growth in your gestation chamber."

Heatwave got a bit nervous. "Um, Blades was looking for our medical files. Do you have them?"

"Yes, I do. Are you okay? You don't look too good."

"Oh, I'm fine. I better head back to my team," Heatwave left.

Xxx

"So, Ally has to go home now? We've barely known her!" Blades said.

"Don't worry. You'll remember about her soon enough," Cody said.

"And she'll be back as soon as the officer back at her home gets better," Chroma said.

Boulder walked in with a Cybertronian binder. "Blades, I think this is yours."

Blades took the binder and looked through it. "What's a 'coming out' party?"

"It's a celebration for when someone comes out of the closet," Cody said.

Chase, Boulder, and Blades looked at him in confusion.

Chroma explained it in their native tongue, causing the mechs to gasp.

"Who would do such a thing and why?!" Blades exclaimed.

"More importantly, who was it for?" Chase snatched the binder.

"Why are you overreacting? What's wrong?" Cody asked.

"Sorry, Cody. I-it's our culture. Two mechs or two femmes having romantic relations is very controversial," Boulder said.

"A-ha! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" Chase declared. "I knew Heatwave was a faggot!"

"Chase! Watch your language!" Chroma scolded.

"Take that back!" Cody said.

"Great, now we have to contact the Rescue Ethics Department," Blades said.

"Optimus Prime gave all emergency response bots a direct order NOT to contact them!" Chroma said.

"Why? What happened?" Boulder asked.

"He discovered that they were corrupt and have been for eons."

"Well, I assume they have gotten control of themselves," Chase said.

"You were okay when First Aid came out with Heatwave," Cody said.

"TWO faggots?! Oh, I am contacting the R.E.D. now."

"Chase, no!" Chroma got between him and the command center. "Cody, stop talking and get Chief Burns here, now!"

"On it," Cody said. He pressed his comm. "Dad, we have a situation. The bots found out that Heatwave's bi and First Aid's gay and they aren't taking it well."

" _On our way, Cody. Try to keep them calm before Heatwave and First Aid get back,"_ Chief said.

" _Geez, how's Chase gonna rereact to Heatwave's crush on him?"_ Kade asked.

"Heatwave had a WHAT on me?!" Chase exclaimed.

" _Uh, did I just make this worse?"_

"I'm not going to report Heatwave, I'm going to _kill_ him!"

"Kill me for what?" Heatwave asked as he reentered the bunker.

Chase's left arm transformed into a blaster and he began shooting at Heatwave as he let out a sting of Cybertronian curse words.

"When did you get a _BLASTER_?! Heatwave screamed as he dodged the shots.

"I don't know!" Chase calmly yelled back.

"Chase, stop shooting! You'll hurt somebody!" Blades said as he, Boulder, and Chroma protected Cody with their Energizer shields.

K-9 landed in the bunker with his blaster ready. "I hear shooting! Who do I shoot?!"

"Help me with Chase," Chroma ordered as she got her blaster ready.

"Wait!" Heatwave turned to face Chase. "Chase, please stop before you hurt somebody." He put a hand on Chase's shoulder. "Pl—AUCH!"

Chase shot Heatwave in the stomach!

"Do NOT touch me again!" Chase aimed his blaster at the red mech's head.

"Deactivate your blaster _right now_!" Groove ordered as he and his twin aimed their blasters at Chase.

Chase looked at his blaster. "Uh, h-how do I do this?"

"Just imagine your hand," Streetwise said as their Blades and Hot Spot took Heatwave through the groundbride.

Chase transformed his blaster back into his hand and was arrested.

The humans and Heatwave's parents arrived.

"Cody, are you okay?" Chief asked.

"What happened?" Dani asked.

"Chase freaked out when Heatwave walked in and started shooting at him!" Cody said.

"We didn't know he was serious about killing him!" Blades said.

"Yeah, this is why people have a hard time with cops," Kade said.

"You didn't help!" everyone said.


	39. Confusing Memories

Heatwave was recovering from his injury when First Aid walked in and sat in a chair near the bed.

"Go away," Heatwave said.

"Why? What's wrong?" First Aid asked.

"I want to be alone."

"I thought you'd want to know what's going on with Chase. He's getting his blaster removed."

"And then what? They give him back to us, so he can kill us again?"

"No, he's gonna go through proper workspace training. Maybe he'll apologize once he's back to his senses."

"Look, kid, bots like that are pretty set in their ways. And I don't want them on my team."

"So, you want _all_ of us gone?" Blades asked as he walked in with energon for Heatwave.

"Yeah, for now," First Aid said as he left.

Blades handed Heatwave the energon. "You know, Heatwave, I'm starting to get more memories, and when we found the binder, it reminded me of something, although a bit delayed. We accepted you. I just wish we rememberd before Chase shot you."

Heatwave drank the energon. "Get out. I want to be alone right now."

Blades left.

Heatwave finished the energon and got some rest… and started to remember something.

Xxx

(A/N: prepare for confusion!)

Blades the Rescue Bot was playing some earth video games with Blades the Protectobot.

"So, how's Heatwave?" Protectobot Blades asked.

"He's good. He just want's to be alone for now," Rescue Bot Blades said.

"I can understand that. So, who's in charge of your team, for now?"

"Chroma is. Normaly, it would be Chase, but since he shot Heatwave…"

"Even more understanding."

"She might be partnered with Chief Burns for a while. Unless, one of the twins is willing to come and help us."

"No, we're a bit busy hunting a very bad mech."

"You need any help?"

"Yeah, if you could watch First Aid, that'd help us a lot."

"Okay, I'll ask Chroma if it's okay."

Xxx

Ratchet, Bumblebee, Miko, and Raf walked to Razor's office.

"Is it just me or is it weird that we're working with the Decepticons?" Miko asked.

"It's not what I would call ideal," Ratchet said, "but, I'd do just about _anything_ to see Rotors get what he deserves."

Ionix walked up to them. "Any idea on if we get Skylynx to help us out yet? I only got 15 mechs left."

("Don't you have more?") Bumblebee asked.

"10 are still in sick bay. Five are critical."

"Maybe we can ask Wheeljack to help," Miko said.

"Miko, they need MORE guys, not less," Raf said.

"Ionix, you wouldn't happen know where Chroma is, would you?" Ratchet asked.

"With her team at the main groundbridge. You need her for something?" Ionix asked.

"Miko has expressed interest in firefighting, so we though she could go on a ride-along with Kade."

"Well, good luck with that. I have to check in with some scouts."

Xxx

(A/N: the timeline's going to get confusing, but these events take place on the same day)

Night had fallen and Heatwave left his room.

He was walking down a hall when an earadicon crossed his path.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" the cannon fodder asked.

"Oh, just stretching my legs. Taking it easy," Heatwave said.

"Alrighty then. I better see what my brothers were talking about this show with professional idiots," the earadicon left.

Heatwave continued to the groundbridge, punched in coordinates, and walked to the uninhabited island. He walked to the familiar clearing, sat down, and focused on finding his bondmate. He didn't know if it was a mech or a femme, but that didn't matter. All he knew was that there was someone out there who loved him. Why else would he bond sparks with someone?

Xxx

Rotors was drinking energon when his spark felt odd.

"Darksyde, prepare the groundbridge," he ordered.

Xxx

"Miko, we got a job," Kade said.

"Ooh! Are we going to put out a fire?" Miko's eyes became anime-like.

"Not exactly."

The two took the elevator to the garage where Inferno was waiting.

"What is it now?" Inferno asked, annoyed.

"A cat stuck in a tree," Kade said as he and Miko got in.

"Gee, staring off easy, aren't we?" Miko crossed her arms and pouted as her pigtails drooped.

Xxx

Ionix, Bumblebee, and the healthy earadicons were watching 'Tex vs. the Reds and Blues'.

watch?v=Ke9wtbzGjCI

The cannon fodders were quite enjoying it because they could relate to the Reds and Blues.

"Oh, man, Bee, you were right this IS hilarious!" Ionix said as he laughed.

"That Grif guy is NEVER having kids!" an earadicon laughed.

The intercom buzzed alive.

" _Everyone on board: Heatwave has gone missing. I repeat:_ _ **Heatwave has gone missing.**_ _If you can, help search the ship top to bottom. If we can't find him on the ship, we need to bridge out,"_ Razor ordered. _"If you find him, let us know."_

 _Xxx_

Heatwave was talking with a hover. The hover claimed to know him, his spark said he did, but he just couldn't put a name to the face!

"Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I can't remember your name," he said.

The mech smiled and held his hand. "It's Rotors. And that feeling in your spark: we're mates. Almost had a child."

Heatwave's optics widened. "I-I don't remember that. My scar is from a growth, right?" he removed the armor on the scar.

Rotors looked at the scar and squeezed Heatwave's hand. "You must've had an abortion and lied to you about it later."

Heatwave felt as if he was punched in the gut. "Wh-why would they do that?!"

"You're bi and have hermathus. That would be reason enough for them."

They heard bots calling Heatwave's name.

"I have to go," Heatwave rearmored himself and hugged Rotors before leaving.

Rotors smiled to himself. _Soon, I'll have a new_ toy. _And I'll make sure he_ never _leaves this time._

Xxx

Miko, Raf, and Cody took the elevator down to the bunker and found that the bots were gone.

"Where are the bots?" Raf asked.

"They can't be on an emergency. My family would be with them," Cody said.

"Hey, I found a note!" Miko said. "and it's in Cybertronian. We better call Jackie."

Xxx

Chase was walking around the ship, his left arm in a sling, when he ran into Blades and Boulder. "Oh. Hello. Have you come to visit me?"

"No," Blades and Boulder both said.

"Chroma said that Heatwave regained more memories," Boulder said.

Chase looked down a bit. "I also regained more memories. I accepted Heatwave when he came out, but something else happened before we found out, but I don't know what it was."

"I think something sad happened," Blades said. "My memories are kinda emotion based."

"Huh. Mine are random images," Boulder said.

"I get bits of information," Chase said. "I wonder how Heatwave's memories are like."

Heatwave walked towards them.

They could tell he was not in a good mood.

"H-hey, Heatwave," Blades nervously said.

"Heatwave I apologize for my behavior. I just remembered you came out, but we don't know why," Chase said.

"Apology NOT accepted!" Heatwave said. "You fragging SHOT ME!"

Chase hid behind Boulder.

"U-uh, w-we were just talking about how we're regaining our memories and Chase was wondering how _your_ memories are coming back," Boulder said.

"Why did you tell him it was me?!" Chase asked.

Heatwave suddenly grabbed Chase by the left arm and pinned it behind its owners back.

Chase cried out in pain.

"Heatwave, what are you doing?!" Blades asked.

"Stop that right now!" Boulder said.

"You want to know how I get my memories back, but I mostly feel with my spark and I sorta pick up the pages," Heatwave twisted Chase's arm very harshly and threw him to the ground. "But the pages are damaged and I have to fix them."

Chase breathed through his teeth as he held his arm.

Blades helped Chase up. "That wasn't cool, Heatwave."

"J-just leave me alone, okay?" Heatwave asked as he left.

"Maybe we should leave him be for now," Boulder said.

"Yeah, being shot is _not_ fun," Blades said.

"That sounds like you've been shot," Chase noted.

"I think I WAS!"

(A/N: Heatwave tries to leave again.)

Xxx

Bumblebee and Ionix were trying to calm First Aid while Raf tried to find out which groundbridge Heatwave had used.

"H-h-how could Heatwave even th-think that?!" First Aid exclaimed.

"I have no answer to that," Ionix said. "Bee, any ideas?"

("That's more of a question for Razor,") Bumblebee said.

"Well, sometimes when humans get amnesia, they create new lives for themselves," Raf said.

"Primus! We need to show him his medical files!" First Aid said.

("You want to _break_ him?!") Bumblebee exclaimed.

"It'll bring him back to his senses!"

"You have no way of knowing that, Aid. It may backfire and further his beliefs," Ionix said.

"Ion's right First Aid," Razor said as she entered the room. "We have to convince Heatwave to stay here without scaring him. This may be a bit tricky, due to Chase's actions."

"I found the groundbridge," Raf said.

("Where is it?") Bumblebee asked.

"Near my earadicons quarters," Ionix's optics widened. "One of the could have seen him!"

"Raf, get those coordinates, Ionix, tell your earadicons to use that station's last known coordinates, get Heatwave, and handle Rotors if he's there. We'll be there, A.S.A.P." Razor said.

Xxx

The humans were in the _Broadside_ 's rec area.

Chief Burns got off his phone. "Ally's on her flight home and says she'll call a soon as she lands."

"Does she know about Heatwave?" Cody asked.

"I told her what I could before she had to go through TSA."

"Not like she'd help at all," Kade said.

"But Buzzsaw and I will," Jackie carried in the minicon. "Optimus gave us the okay to attack Rotors as long as we don't kill him."

"Wait, what?" T.J. asked.

"He wants to do a trial like a 'civilized individual'."

"Not if the Protectobots get 'im first," Miko said.

"I can see why Optimus would want a trial," Chief said.

"Rotors would be sentenced to death, anyway," Chase said as he entered the rec room. "I read his file. It was a big file."

"What are _you_ doing here?" Raychel crossed her arms.

"I came to get a puzzle. I heard they help with proper CPU function. Do you believe Heatwave was in danger?"

"Everybody wants Rotors dead and you read his file. Of course, Heatwave's in danger!" Jackie said.

Blades ran into the rec room. "The Protectobots found Heatwave! He's okay!"

Xxx

"Let me go!" Heatwave screamed as he was starped to a medical berth. "They don't want me here!"

"Trust me when I say this is for your own health and wellness," Blades (PB) calmly said as he prepared a sedative.

Heatwave spat in Groove's face.

"Classy," Groove deadpanned as he went to wipe the spit off his face.

Razor walked in. "Heatwave, Blades is going to give you something to help calm you and we'll talk after you wake up."

"No! I'm not gonna listen! You LIED to me!" Heatwave yelled.

"To keep you from panicing."

"Well, that backfired," Groove deadpanned again.

Blades injected him with the sedative.

Heatwave's optics rolled back as he fell into recharge.

The others walked in.

"Is Heatwave gonna be okay?" Boulder asked.

"He will. He just… needs to process some things," Razor said.

"What can we do?" Dani asked.

"The best we could do is leave him with medical personnel _only_ checking on him. First Aid, this excludes you."

"Is First Aid still in training?" Chase asked.

"That, and he's been having stress related mental health issues we want to keep an optic on."

"I KNEW something about him scared me!" Blades said.

"We've been over this, he's a nice person," Dani and the twins said.

"Okay, everyone out, now," Razor herded everyone out of the room.

Xxx

A week had passed.

" _So, Heatwave STILL hasn't woken up?"_ Miko asked over Skype.

"Yeah, I think he's depressed. Chase tried to make a Cybertronian apology cake, but it blew up," Jackie said.

" _Why?"_

"The Cybertronian diet is explosive, remember? But, then again, he did manage to make a bowl of _cereal_ ignite!"

" _Think Heatwave'll be able to forgive him?"_

Jackie shrugged. "Dunno. But, the Protectobots said they might combine soon."

" _Cool! Let me know when that happens! Later!"_

"Later," Jackie turned off Skype and went back to the games and YouTube she was playing.

Brains walked in and went to turn off Jackie's laptop, but she growled at him.

"You need to get off this. You're getting cranky because of it," Brains said. "You need to talk with people."

"I just Skyped with Miko," Jackie said. "And other people trigger me."

"How do other people trigger you?"

Jackie took a pen a clicked it rapidly, then tapped her fingers on the table, and finally tried to whistle. "And don't get me started on people who answer their phone in the public restroom. All these things can make me go dragon."

"People are gonna do that. You just need to learn how to ignore them."

"I _tried_! No matter how hard I try, I can't! that's why I use things like my iPad and phone. With the YouTube videos and podcasts, I can ignore annoying people," Jackie resumed what she was doing.

" _I tried to tell ya. She's got that thing where she gets mad at noises,"_ Wheelie commed Brains.

Xxx

Chase was pacing around the bunker.

First Aid's lower optic lid twitched. "Chase, quit it!"

"What?" Chase asked.

"You've been pacing back and forth for an hour and a half," Boulder said.

"Well, I haven't been outdoors for over a week. I think I'm coming down with what humans' call 'cabin fever'."

"Can't say I blame the chief for 'grounding' you," Groove said as he played Mortal Kombat XL with Blades (RB).

"Hey, look, you only got three more weeks off-duty. Consider yourself lucky," Hot Spot said.

" _Very_ lucky," Firestar narrowed her optics.

"Why don't we help in the command center?" Boulder led Chase to the room.

Xxx

Razor entered Heatwave's room and saw that he didn't take his energon ration.

"Heatwave, you can't just skip rations," she said. "You know it's unhealthy to do so." 

"Well, maybe I don't feel like it," Heatwave said. Then his enegon processor rumbled. "Mnh!"

"Look, if you don't ingest your energon I may be force to give you an I.V. for your own good."

Heatwave growled and began to chug the energon.

"Whoa! Slow down a bit," Razor said.

"Why should—" just as Heatwave was about to say 'I', he accidently let out a large burp. "Oh…" he blushed a bit. "E-excuse me." He finished the rest carefully.

"Now, how about we visit your team?"

"Well, it's been a week… think it's safe?"

"Don't worry, I don't think Chase'll harm you. He's gotten off-duty punishment for four weeks."

"Hmph. Sounds like he got off lucky. _Too_ lucky."

"He had amnesia. Just like you did."

Heatwave rolled his optics. "Look, I don't think I'll be able to forgive him… but, I'll try." He stood up. "Let's go."

Xxx

Everyone in the bunker groaned.

"How does blades (RB) keep winning?!" Groove exclaimed.

"I guess I'm just gifted!" Blades said as he put his arms behind his head.

"Dude, you just squeeze your optics shut and button mash," Jackie said after she paused her 'watch later'. "You're just really lucky."

"Couldn't agree more," Heatwave said as he and Razor entered the bunker.

A heavy awkwardness filled the room.

"Oh-oh, hey, H-Heatwave," Boulder said.

"H-how's it going?" Blades (RB) asked.

First Aid hid behind his original team.

"Have you been taking your rations?" Firestar asked.

"Yes, Mom," Heatwave rolled his optics.

"With some convincing," Razor said.

Then everyone felt a tremor.

"Don't tell me the island's sinking again," Heatwave groaned.

"It shouldn't be. The hardening foam has a half-life of 20 years," Boulder said.

"Meaning?" Blades (RB) asked.

"Can someone translate?" Blades (PB) asked.

"It shouldn't be deteriorating after a week," Boulder said.

" _Team, some teenagers were playing with TNT by the old iron mine and caused damage to the mountain side. This is an all hands-on deck situation,_ " Chief said.

"On it, Chief," Hot Spot said. "Guys, let's rev up and rescue."

"Battle cries aren't your thing, Hot Spot," Streetwise said as all able-bodied bots took the lift to the garage.

"What is going-?" Chase stopped when he saw Heatwave.

Jackie went semi-dragon when the awkwardness returned and left.

Xxx

The team arrived at the location of the emergency and saw the cliff face cracking and tire-sized rocks falling, but there weren't many.

"What do you need us to do?" Blades (RB) asked.

"Make sure no one else is in the immediate area," Chief said. "This cliff is coming down, no matter what!"

"We'll by you some time," First Aid said.

"How're you gonna do that?" Kade asked.

"Hey, we're a combining unit, remember?" Blades (PB) said.

"Meaning?"

"Just wait for it," Chroma said.

"Protectobots, transform and combine!" Hot Shot ordered.

Kade got out his phone and started recording.

A light surrounded the Protectbots and they heard and transforming noise as the light took the shape of a giant robot.

The light faded, revealing the giant mech.

The mech stretched. "Feels good to be back! First Aid, you good? You bet. Guys, the emergency, what's the plan? We're gonna hold it up, Groove. Hot Spot, that's crazy. Look, we've been here for, what? Two weeks? Crazy's how this place goes." The mech held up the cliff. "Chief, you give us the word, okay?"

"Oh, my god, this is like 'Steven Universe' meets 'Voltron'," Kade said.

Xxx

Heatwave and Chase were monitoring the island in the command center.

Things were very awkward and Razor was watching them just in case.

"S-so, this crush y-you had on me? How did it happen?" Chase asked.

"Heatwave shot a glare. "It just happened. Probably because I like the color blue."

"In a sexual way?"

"No. it goes with my paint. They're complementary colors."

"Was your crush the 'want-to'—"

"It was until you started blabbing about cyberbullying LBGT+ bots on the datanet.

"Yet, you still had a crush on me until—if my memory is correct—last month."

"Hey, I still have a crush on you and Chroma. Like I said—I like the color blue."

"Maybe you subconsciously sexualized it."

"Do you want my cable in your port? Is that what you want?" Heatwave crossed his arms.

"Ack! No! I-I was just investigating your crush! Wait, you like Chroma?! She's mine!" Chase tackled Heatwave and tried to punch him.

"Hey, het, hey! Break it up! Chase, apologized," Razor said.

"You are _clearly_ not my type! Maybe I should find Rotors and he can make you purge with his and mine interface life," Heatwave snarked.

"What? No! Rotors is a predator!" Chase pulled up Rotors' file on the main screen.

"That's a lie! I'll ask his old team and they'll tell you the truth!" Heatwave exited the bunker.

"Chase, how could you?!" Razor asked.

"Heatwave started it," Chase whined.

"Who spoke first?"

"Oh."

Xxx

Defensor was glad to help others again. It had probably been centuries since he had been in being. This gestalt was happy all his modules were back.

"Hey, Defensor, was it? I have a question for you?" Heatwave said.

"Go ahead," the combiner said.

"What was you experience with Rotors?"

Defensor gave a shudder and when he spoke, five voices came in unison from his mouth. "H-Heatwave? Wh-why would you ask that?! Rotors is a very delicate subject with First Aid. How could you?! First Aid, calm down! How could he?! He has amnesia! Not Heatwave! Rotors! Calm down! He manipulated me—us! You _had_ to bring him up!" Defensor's left arm raised up—the module that was First Aid. "No, First Aid! Calm d—that VIOLATOR!" Defensor's arm hit the cliff and he uncombined as the mountain fell down on the Protectobots.

"Oh, scrap!" Heatwave backed away.

Rotors groundbridged behind him. "You talked with my old team, didn't you?"

"What happened with you guys?"

"Eh… we didn't part ways on the best of terms. Let's go!" he led Heatwave through the groundbridge.

Not too long after, the team returned and saw one of the Protectobots trying to free himself.

"Goove, what happened?" Chief asked as soon as the Rescue bots freed him.

"Ugh. Heatwave happened! He started asking about Rotors, and First Aid paniced and hit the cliff," Groove said.

"Heatwave's here?!" Firestar dropped her rock on Inferno's foot.

"Ow! Geez, Firestar. I'll see if he went to the bunker," Inferno transformed and drove off.

They soon got the rest of the Protectobots out.

"Are they okay?" Groove asked, most concerned about his brother.

"They need to get into healing stasis, ASAP," Blades (RB) said.

"Looks like we might get some help with that," Chief said as a flatbed semi pulled over to see what happened.

Xxx

The four unconscious Protectbots were in healing stasis pods while Groove was being patched up by Razor.

"I was hoping he'd get lost," Razor said as she finished repairing Groove.

"If we knew you were coming, we'd keep Chase away," Chief said.

"But, it was never my intent to offend him," Chase said.

"Chase, we know that. You were just trying to understand him, but things escalated quickly," Razor said.

"Really?" Dani flatly asked.

"Yes, really. I was there. I saw the whole thing."

"What made him leave the bunker?" Cody asked.

"Heatwave brought up Rotors."

Everyone was shocked.

"Heatwave's CPU isn't recalling things properly. This can happen with humans, too. We just have to wait for him to put two and two together, and we'll need to be there for him," Razor said.

"I'm guessing his little chat with you-know-who didn't help," Firestar said.

"Speaking of which, we better see where Heatwave wandered off to," Inferno said.

"I'll start with the security cameras," Chase walked into the command center.

"I'll help," Cody followed the police-bot.

"I'll track him by scent," K-9 transformed into his alt mode.

"Chief and I'll follow you," Chroma said.

"Dani and I'll take the sky," Blade said.

"And check the other islands," Dani said.

"I'll see if our groundbridge particle reader picked up anything," Boulder said.

"I'll go back to the _Broadside_ and check for his signal. I'll send Air Raid to help you and inform Ionix," Razor said.

"Firestar, you stay here in case he shows up," Inferno said.

"I'll stay by my team. They'll need someone to fill them in when they wake up," Groove said.

"I'll text Jackie," Kade said. "Maybe she can help us."


	40. The End of Rotors

(A/N: Rotors is one sick motherfragger)

It had been six weeks since Heatwave disappeared, and the other three bots had regained 90% of their memories.

Chase, Boulder, and Blades were playing Go Fish in the bunker.

"Have either of you noticed everyone's odd behavior?" Chase asked.

"Well, they're worried about Heatwave," Boulder said.

"But, Chroma and several of the Protectobots do not appear to care."

"That's because Heatwave most likely made the decision to leave by himself," Chroma said.

"I do not believe that. Heatwave would never—"

"Chase, there isn't anything we can do right now. It's out of our hands and Ionix is doing everything he can to get more earadicons to help search for him."

"Besides, we know what he'd want us to do," Blades then did his best impression "'Protect the humans'."

"Chase, you're going kill yourself with all this worrying you do, just like when you were in Rescue Bot training," Boulder said.

"No, I won't," Chase pouted and crossed his arms. Something dripped from his left wrist.

"Um, are you okay?" Blades asked.

"I'll contact Razor," Chroma said.

Xxx

Heatwave woke up from recharge and walked out of his room to get energon.

One of Rotor's gaurds was following him.

This had been going on for a while. Rotors had seemed to be very protective of him.

Then there was also the love life. I won't go into detail, but let's just say Rotors had his kinks and was always dominate. They did use protection, but Hetwave had his doubts. They also didn't sparkbond. They've done so before, why no longer?

As he continued to walk to the energon, he got lightheaded, so he stopped and leaned against the wall.

"What's going on?" the guard asked.

"I-it's nothing. J-just a-a little—ugh…" Heatwave passed out.

Xxx

Razor patched up Chase's wrist. "Okay, Chase, you're ready for work again. Just don't rub your wrist anymore. You could open the seam again."

"Any updates on Blades and First Aid?" Blades asked.

"They're still with Ratchet. First Aid's still pretty shook up."

"Think he'll be okay?"

"Could take a while."

"Have you any information on Heatwave?" Chase asked.

Razor shook her head. "I believe it's a lost cause. If Heatwave remembers what happened to him… Rotors could snuff him."

"I remember the Protectbots said someone name 'Darksyde' helped them save First Aid. Think he could help?" Boulder asked.

"It's possible. But, we don't know for sure."

"Um, this is gonna be a weird question, but what if Heatwave's…?" Blades made the gesture of carrying an infant in one's arms.

"At least one of his victims was gestating post abduction. I think the answer is sadly clear. Heatwave's at an increased risk due to his previous gestation, which increases his likeliness of conceiving again."

Xxx

Lindsy walked downstairs and saw Jackie still binge-watching Netflix, playing online games, Sims, and typing her fanfictions.

"You okay?" she asked as she sat next to the teen. "You've been doing this since last night."

"She's fucking gone. She didn't talk to me for two weeks and she fucking died," Jackie pulled tissues to herself. "My best friend… is gone. And I'm constipated again."

"I'll get your medicine," Lindsy said. "And you need to go to bed early today."

"No, I won't," Jackie pulled off the blanket covering 25 liters of _Coke-a-Cola_.

"Okay, no DLC downloads for a month," Brains said.

"Dude, school starts next month," Wheelie said.

Buzzsaw crashed through the window.

"Buzz! What the fuck?!" Lindsy gave Jackie the apple juice and picked up the minicon.

"His, perch's missing," Jackie said.

Buzzsaw turned his head to the barn and back to the house residents.

"Jackie, translation?" Lindsy asked.

Jackie just put on her Bluetooth headphones and raised the Netflix volume.

'Abby's one with the AllSpark,' Lindsy mouthed to the minicon. "C'mon, let's get you to Ion."

Xxx

"I'm not getting rid of it!" Heatwave yelled at Rotors.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I'm not forcing you to do anything. I just want to make sure you're ready for a sparkling. It's too soon for me," Rotors said. "And you must mind your condition."

"Yeah, I know. Heh. I guess one of the positives is a break from interesting."

"More like a negative for me…"

Heatwave took a step back. "Uh, you're not an interface addict, are you?"

Rotors shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

Heatwave felt as if he was remembering something. "Nevermind, I'm gonna get some rest." He walked back to his room. _Were the others right about him?_

Xxx

Kade was playing on his phone at Jackie's house the next day.

Why was he at Jackie's?

He was stuck babysitting her while Lindsy was in a meeting on the mainland base.

Jackie walked down the stairs with her laptop and turned on the TV.

"Hey, hey, hey! You're supposed to be resting, not watching TV and playing on your computer," Kade said.

"Well, I'm not tired. I'll sleep when I'm tired," Jackie started to play her online games and Sims while watching _Mysteries at the Museum_. "Also, this IS how I rest."

Kade got an idea. "You like _Pokémon_ , right?"

"Yeah, I like _Pokémon."_

"You ever play the first video game?"

"No."

"Well, I got a game in the truck the Graham and I worked on to play on TV or a computer with two or more people."

"Why did you make it?"

"I thought it would help me get girls in high school."

"Did it work?"

"No," Kade sighed.

Xxx

(A/N: next two scenes may be triggering)

Heatwave looked around his room. It was bland. He left Griffin Rock so fast that he didn't have any time to collect his stuff.

Rotors entered his room. "I've been thinking about what you said. About our love life."

"And?" Heatwave asked. "You know I'm gonna be celibate for a while."

"Sparkbonds are safe."

"Sorry, you addict, we're taking a break. Might do you some good."

Rotors' expression turned dark and he hit Heatwave in the gut.

"Hey!" Heatwave curled up, protecting his belly. "What are you doing?!"

"Do as I say and I won't hit you again," Rotors said.

"Uh, how 'bout neither!" Heatwave barreled past him and into the hall. _Why didn't I listen to my team?!_

He almost made it to a groundbridge when two of Rotors guards grabbed him and pinned him to the ground.

"Get off of me!" he yelled.

Rotors walked to him and put his foot on Heatwave's crotch and applied pressure, making him squirm. "What happens next is _your_ fault." He looked at one of his guards. "Open his spark chamber."

Xxx

Darksyde was checking on the security bots and heard/saw them laughing at something.

"You better not be watching cat videos again," he said as he walked over to them.

"Nah, boss, the big boss is teaching his glitch a lesson," one of the bots pointed at the screen.

Darksyde couldn't do anything but look in shock. He knew Rotors was getting risky, but sparkraping in public? Sure, it was his ship, but a crowd of mechs was forming and laughing at the victim.

He saw Rotors finished and he got a good look at Heatwvae. The poor mech was hivering and crying with a look of horror on his face.

Rotors then started to remove his victims armor.

"Rotors, that's enough! He's learned his lesson!" Darksyde said into the comm.

Rotors said something to Heatwave, who appeared to agree with what Darksyde said.

" _I don't think he has,"_ Rotors said. _"Not until the life's out of his optics."_

" _No, do-!"_

Xxx

("First Aid, I don't think it was a joke,") Bumblebee said into the medic's room.

"How do you know?!" First Aid screamed.

('I don't! I'm just hopeful.")

"What happened now?" Blades asked.

("He say the Mr. Jelly Bean scene.")

"'Mr. Jelly Bean'?"

"It's a character from that stupid show Bumblebee watches," Optimus said.

"Is it 'After School Specials' again?" Arcee asked.

("Uh, yeah… First Aid and I were watching Adult Swim last night and I got up for my patrol and when I got back, the end of the Mr. Jelly Bean episode of 'Rick and Morty' was on and First Aid was… catatonic, so I took him to his room for the night, and now…") Bumblebee trailed off.

"Why didn't you just tell me when Toonmai was on?!" First Aid yelled.

"What's First Aid freaking out about, now?" Agent Fowler groaned.

"He saw a triggering scene on TV last night," Optimus said.

"Who allowed that to air?!" First Aid exclaimed.

("It's rated TV-MA for a reason!") Bumblebee snapped.

"Just watch cat videos, 'Aid," Bulkhead said.

Xxx

Rotors threw Heatwave on the latter's berth.

"Now, think about what you did," Rotors left the room.

Heatwave covered himself with a blanket. The forced sparkbond caused a wave of his memories came back all at once. _I can't believe how stupid I am! Oh, Primus, was I being raped with consent?! Why didn't I listen to my team?! I hope my kid's okay…_

Xxx

Optimus was monitoring the screens for Decepticon (or Rotors) activity while Ratchet comforted First Aid.

A call from Razor came in.

Optimus answered and before he could get a word out…

" _Optimus, Buzzsaw found Rotors' ship,"_ Ionix said. _"It looks like Heatwave's still alive, but it took a few days to get the info, so we gotta move fast! Some of the Protectobots and Chroma are here, and Megatron's on his way with reinforcements. Can you send anyone?"_

"Are you planning on bringing him in alive?" Optimus asked.

" _Mm… alive enough. We all know you want to give him a trial, but everyone doesn't like it. Heck, a group of chicks in India killed a guy like Rotor before_ his _trial!"_

Bulkhead, Arcee, and Bumblebee arrived at the base with the kids and they were debating Bumblebee's mishap with First Aid.

"Autobots, Rotors has been located and—"

"What?!" Blades dropped the tools he finished fixing for Ratchet asked.

"Where?!" Bulkhead activated his wrecking balls.

("That fragger's gonna pay!") Bumblebee's door-wings went down as he punched his fists.

"Let's go," Arcee walked to the groundbridge, punched in the coordinates for the _Broadside_ , and the portal opened.

" _Well, got my answer,"_ Ionix said before signing off.

The bots started walking through the groundbridge.

"No, no, no! Wait! I-I haven't-!" Optimus was cut off when the groundbridge closed.

"Uh, what… just happened?" Jack asked.

"What I was afraid—where are Miko and Rafael?"

Jack looked around. "Funny, they were right—"

They both looked at the groundbridge and realized what just happened.

"Oh, no," Optimus went to the groundbridge and was about to reopen it when the power went out. "What?! No, no, no, no, no! Not now!"

"Optimus, what hap—AH!" Ratchet ran in and tripped on the dropped tools. "Blades!"

"Did we have a power out?" First Aid asked as he found a flashlight and turned it on.

"Well, the news said that there's going to electrical storms over the weekend, so it isn't surprising," Jack said.

"How long will it take for the power to return?" Optimus urgently asked.

"Optimus, what is going on?" Ratchet asked.

"I heard that they found Rotors and everyone took the groundbridge before the power went out," Jack said.

"I have never lost control of a situation so quickly," Optimus said.

First Aid started shivering, so Ratchet took the flashlight from his son.

"Jack, are you able to get a cellphone signal?" Ratchet asked.

Jack checked his phone. "Sorry, no."

The emergency generator kicked in.

"I'll drive to a location where I can contact Razor and ask for a groundbridge," Optimus said before transforming and leaving.

"Come on, First Aid. Let's see if anything needs repairing. Jack, keep trying to get a signal," Ratchet said.

Xxx

"Razor, is this really necessary?" Chroma asked as she sat on the exam berth.

"Yes, I'm doing check-ups everyone before we start the meeting," Razor said.

Knockout entered the room. "Oh! Sorry." He covered his optics. "Uh, here's the medical files you asked for."

"Just put them on the counter and take that bag. You don't have to cover your optics, by the way."

Knockout took the bag. "This is… a bit awkward. And what's in the bag?"

"A severed head," Chroma joked.

"What?!" Knockout looked in the bag. "This is CNA."

Chroma laughed.

"You and Breakdown are working with Jackie," Razor said.

"I would've preferred a severed head," Knockout said.

"Well, you're on rescue duty. Further complaints can be made during the meeting."

"Ugh!" Knockout rolled his optics and left the room.

"How long is this going to take?" Chroma asked.

"I'll only ask a few questions and do a quick scan," Razor said. "I know you're a mated femme, so have you and Chase been intimate lately?"

"A couple times. It's been a bit hard for him with all that's been happening."

"Okay, I'm going to have to run the scan, now."

"What? Why?" Chroma asked as she was scanned.

"To make sure you aren't—" Razor was cut off by the scanner beeping. "—gestating."

Chroma's expression turned deadpan. "Whoopie."

Xxx

Optimus was driving as fast as he legally could to try and get a signal.

He was starting to panic. He knew Ionix and Bumblebee's ages were very close to First Aid's and if they were going after Rotors—if something went wrong—if they were captured—

He swerved out of the way of another semi, almost losing control. He parked by the median. He activated the experimental holoform, just in case.

He wouldn't think of that, or, at least, he would try not to.

He calmed down and continued driving.

Xxx

Razor walked to the meeting room and walked into Megatron.

"Meeting room's this way," she motioned for the Decepticon to follow her.

"I assume you read my soldiers medical files," Megatron said. "Have omitted any?"

"Only two Autobots and the recovering Earadicons."

"Why are two of your Autobots not battle ready?"

"One is at risk of reopening suicidal injuries and the other, a mated femme, is more likely than not gestating."

"How many medics are there?"

"Myself, Knockout, Ratchet, Blades, a Rescue Bot, and First Aid, but I doubt he'll be of any help."

"Will Optimus be joining us?"

"Couldn't reach him after his team arrived," she said as they entered the meeting room. "Let's have our meeting."

Xxx

Optimus was starting to drive more and more recklessly.

He couldn't help thinking of those worst-case scenarios.

He was NOT about to lose his son again.

And Bumblebee… he viewed him as his son, too. He practically adopted him after that raid. He knew that those prisoners they took made Bumblebee uncomfortable, with their disgusting remarks. And after First Aid killed them… well, that was probably because First Aid killed him.

He couldn't help but blame himself for what happened to him.

Ratchet wanted somewhere safe for First Aid after the raid, and he suggested Hot Spot's team… they were down two units and a combining unit. First Aid was ecstatic to be part of a combining unit. Ratchet had allowed him to join.

Two Cybertronian years had passed when Hot Spot crashed an escape pod from the _Defender_ at their base at the time and ran out with First Aid in his arms, calling for a medic.

Ratchet, Pharma, and Ambulon—Ratchet's apprentice—ran to him and Ratchet thought First Aid was shot by Decepticons or tortured by them, as a mech his age was silent, like First Aid was at the time.

Hot Spot handed First Aid to Pharma and took Ratchet aside and explained what happened to First Aid.

Ratchet tried to kill him, thinking he knew what was going on the whole time.

But Optimus knew that no one could have predicted or known what Rotors really was, due to countless legal papers being damaged and/or destroyed.

Optimus put the idea of a gestalt in Ratchet's head and was afraid he was going to pay the ultimate price for his mistake.

He clipped an SUV and his form went, what Miko called when she saw him after he found out Rotors was back, Shattered Glass.

Xxx

Ratchet had gotten the vitals screen back online and saw Optimus' current status. "Oh, no!"

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"I-it's Optimus! He's losing it!"

"Losing what?" First Aid asked.

Agent Fowler arrived back at the base in his car. "Where's Prime?"

"Were there any casualties?" Ratchet asked.

"Uh, no… a red and blue _speeding semi_ caused a traffic accident by clipping an SUV, closing two eastbound lanes!"

"Scrap! Jack, have you gotten—"

"Still no," Jack said.

"Alright, someone better tell me what's going on _right now_ ," Fowler said.

"Rotors is back," Ratchet said. "Everyone went to join Ionix in hunting him down—they found his whereabouts—and we had a power out shortly after the groundbridge closed. We can't even get a communication signal. That's why Optimus originally left. To contact the team."

"Dad, we _really_ need to contact Razor," First Aid said.

"What are you gonna do? It's damn near impossible to get a signal in this storm, like you said," Fowler said.

"I have an idea, but it's extremely stupid and dangerous one that should never, ever be tried at home," Ratchet said.

Xxx

Knockout, Breakdown, dragon Jackie, and Miko exited the groundbridge onto Rotors' ship at their specific location.

Knockout screamed like a bitch when Rotors' mechs started shooting, but Breakdown and Jackie took care of them quickly.

"That was easy," Knockout said.

"Oh, _sure_ you did," Breakdown and Miko said in unison while Jackie rolled her eyes.

"Just hand me a phenotype," Miko said.

Knockout opened the bag. "Uh… which one is 'smell' again?"

"The one with the daisy—the flower, you _baka_."

Knockout handed Miko the syringe and Miko injected it into the transmutate's neck, making her shine red and her olfactory sensor to enlarge.

"Does this 'Heatwave' have a big nose?" Breakdown joked.

"No, _this_ is an earth animal thing," Miko said. "Now, Knockout, het Heatwave's CNA sample—white cap, red insignia—and open it under her nose."

"Uh, here, Breakdown!" Knockout gave Breakdown the vial.

"We don't have to be afraid of her, Knockout," Breakdown said as he gave Jackie the scent.

"I'm just keeping my guard up."

Jackie ran off.

"Looks like she found the scent," Breakdown said.

"Oh, Primus, help me!" Knockout said as he and Breakdown Followed the transmutate.

Xxx

"Bumblebee, make _sure_ you and Ion have your guards up for your own safety," Arcee commed. "Who knows how Optimus'll react if he found out Rotors did something to you."

 _("No problem, 'Cee. We got TONS of vehicons with us!")_ Bumblebee said.

"Why am I not reassured?" Arcee rolled her optics.

"Because they keep dropping like flies," Airachnid said.

"Why did your sister pair us together?"

"Frag if—stay back," Airachnid pushed Arcee behind her.

"What is it?"

Airachnid shot a web-ball into the hall and was immediately incinerated. "We better warn the others."

"No scrap."

Xxx

Air Raid and the Protectobots had taken care of several of Rotors' mechs.

"Remember, when we get to Rotors, we beat him to an inch of his life!" Groove said.

"I think it should be no less than six inches," Air Raid said.

They then got into a heated debate over how much life they should leave him.

Xxx

Knockout and Breakdown had reached Jackie and Miko's location. Jackie had her head on the door to a room and was making a weird whining noise.

"I think we found him," Miko said.

Knockout pushed them aside and looked at the door panel. "It looks like it requires a code to get in. a code we don't have."

Jackie pushed him aside and typed in the code.

"How did you? Never mind, the door's open. Let's get Waveheat," Knockout said.

Jackie made a face and growled.

"His name's 'Heatwave'," Miko said.

"How 'bout you two stand guard while we get him?" Breakdown asked.

Knockout scoffed and entered the room.

A whimper met him. The whimper came from under blankets on a berth.

Knockout pulled off the blankets and was kicked in the face. "Hey!" he pulled out his electric staff and electrocuted his attacker.

"Knockout! That's they guy we're rescuing!" Breakdown said.

"Oh. Whoops," Knockout continued to pull off the blankets and got a shock. "Uh, Breakdown, c-can you take a looked at this?"

Breakdown walked over and saw the mech all scuffed on, it looked like his sparkchamber was forced open, and there was some energon on the berth.

"Let's get him outta here," Breakdown wrapped the mech up in the blankets and carried him out.

"Aand the transmutate's gone," Knockout said.

Xxx

Razor was in the communication center with Raf when they received a message from Knockout and Breakdown.

"What is it?" she asked.

" _The good news: we found Heatwave; the bad news: we lost the transmutate,"_ Knockout said.

"Get to a groundbridge station and go to its last coordinates. I'll prep sick bay. Raf, you're in charge."

"Roger that," Raf said.

After Razor left, Raf got a message from Team Prime's base.

"What's going on?" he asked.

First Aid's staticy voice came through. _"Can you guys pick up Optimus' signal? He left the base to find a radio signal and we can't get to him due to weather. We were lucky to get_ this _signal!"_

"On it, just—"

Raf was cut off by a clap of thunder and Ratchet screaming in pain before losing the signal.

Xxx

Optimus had to pull over because he burst a tire. It didn't, it was just annoying.

A groundbridge opened and he drove through it.

"Optimus?" Raf asked. "Are you okay?"

"I am fine, Rafael. Where are Ionix and Bumblebee?" Optimus asked.

"Don't worry, they're almost done with their mission. Heatwave's in sick bay, but Knockout and Breakdown lost track of Jackie and Miko."

"THEY ARE ON ROTORS' SHIP?!"

"What's going on?" Breakdown asked as he walked up to them and saw Optimus. "Oh, uh, hi. I-is that a new paint job?"

"WHO ALLOWED IONIX AND BUMBLEBEE TO CONFRONT ROTORS?!"

"D—I – uh, R-Razor did. You can talk with her when she's done with Heatwave."

Optimus grumbled as he walked off. "I'll be in the recreation area if anyone needs me."

"So, uh, Raf, h-how's First Aid doing?" Breakdown asked.

Xxx

Megatron ripped out the sparkchamber of one of Rotors' mechs and stabbed/shot another.

" _Lord Megatron, we have reports that the victim was retrieved and the transmutate is missing,"_ Airachnid said.

"She may attempt to go after Rotors. Perhaps she enjoys the thrill of the hunt," Megatron said.

" _Arcee says if anyone finds her, to shove her through the nearest groundbridge."_

"Understood. She can blow up the ship if she chooses to or by mistake. Check on Ionix and Bumblebee. We CANNOT risk Rotors taking them!"

" _Copy that."_

Xxx

"Phew!" Blades (RB) said as he entered the bunker from the command center. "They found Heatwave and are treating him."

"That is good news," Chase said. "Is there any news on when we can visit him?"

"We can board the ship tomorrow. Also, Chroma has news for you, but I don't know what it is."

"Are the others returning from their mission?"

Blades shrugged his shoulders.

Xxx

Bulkhead was looking for Jackie and Miko. "Miko? Jackie? Where are you?"

He turned a corner and saw Darksyde laying on the floor, unconscious and leaking energon.

"Ugh. Well, it's better than nothing," Bulkhead said as he picked the mech up and continued to look for the two girls.

He turned three more corners and saw green smoke.

"Miko? Do you read?" he commed.

" _What does it mean when Jackie's breathing green smoke?"_ Miko asked.

"Probebly nothing good. Try to steer her out. Your fire suit's working, right?"

" _I think so."_

"Oh, Miko!" Bulkhead switched comm signals. "Raf, see if you can comm everyone. I think Jackie's gonna try and blow this ship up. I'm evacuating already."

" _Copy, Bulkhead,"_ Raf said.

Xxx

Knockout was walking to the sick bay to help with any injuries when he walked into Optimus. "Oh. Excuse me."

"Do you have any information on Ionix and Bumblebee?" Optimus asked.

"Not at the moment, but they are pulling bots because the transmutate went AWOL. Maybe you'll see them before the day's over."

"They better be alright..."

xxx

"Shouldn't Ionix or Bumblebee be answering their comms?" Airachnid asked.

"Something isn't right," Arcee said.

"Has anyone seen or heard from Ionix or Bumblebee?" Airachnid commed.

" _They're missing?"_ Air Raid asked. _"Wait, how many frequencies did you use?"_

"All of them."

" _Everyone continued to evacuate. I'll look for them,"_ Megatron said.

Airachnid and Arcee got to the groundbridge and activated it.

"Arcee, you go. I'll help look for Ionix and Bumblebee," Airachnid said.

"No arguments from me. Just… make sure they aren't harmed," Arcee walked through the groundbridge.

Xxx

Optimus looked through the security cameras, trying to find Ionix and Bumblebee as Autobots and Decepticons exited the groundbridges.

All the groundbridges closed with no sign of the two.

" _Optimus, Razor wants you to go to recovery bay one,"_ Raf said.

"What for?" Optimus asked.

" _One of the patients wants to talk to you."_

Xxx

Megatron found Rotors. "Airachnid, search for the transmutate. _I'll_ handle Rotors."

Megatron lunged at Rotors.

Xxx

Optimus walked into recovery one.

"In there," Knockout pointed to a room.

Optimus walked in and saw Darksyde.

"What is it? If you want to repent, then it is a higher power you must speak to," Optimus said.

"No… I… regret to inform you that Rotors has taken Ionix and Bumblebee," Darksyde said.

"What?!"

"I tried to stop him, but you can see the results of it."

Optimus punched a wall and left the room.

Xxx

Airachnid found Jackie and Miko.

"Come on, we have to leave," Airachnid said.

"I've tried to get her to leave, but she just wants to blow this place up," Miko said.

Airachnid sighed a grabbed Miko.

"It's best I get _you_ out of this _pit_ ," Airachnid said as she walked to a groundbridge.

Xxx

Rotors seethed when Megatron's blade slashed his arm.

"That sings a lot!" Rotors complained.

"Tell me where the two mechs are and your demise will be swift!" Megatron said.

"Where's the fun in that?" Rotors activated the hall's fire extinguishers and ran away in the fog.

By the time Megatron got out of the hall, Rotors was gone.

"Dammit!" he cursed.

Then noises came from the other end of the ship, which became closer and closer.

Megatron realized he needed to get off the ship as soon as possible.

Xxx

Optimus was punching in the coordinates from Buzzsaw into a groundbridge.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Air Raid asked.

"To save Ionix and Bumblebee. You have apparently given up on them," Optimus said. He activated the groundbridge and had begun to enter when an explosion blew him back.

"Sir!" Air Raid threw Prime's arm over his shoulders. "Let's get you to sick bay."

"N-no! we can still—"

"Raf, try to figure out where Rotors' ship might land. We're gonna have to look for survivors."

Xxx

The Rescue Bots were helping Razor's team look for surviviors from Rotors' shipwreck.

" _We found a survivor. You guys find anything?"_ Hot Spot commed.

"Just a bunch of dead bots," Blades (RB) said.

"I found Jackie!" Boulder picked up the squirming transmutate. "I think she's okay!"

" _Optimus is scouting a new crash site we found,"_ Raf said.

"I'll help him. Give me the coordinates," Blades commed.

" _No!"_ Razor said. _"It's not a crash site from the ship! It's an escape pod!"_

"What?!"

"Does that mean Rotors could be in that pod?" Chase asked.

" _More likely than not, I'm afraid,"_ Razor said.

Xxx

" _Optimus, if you see anyone,_ do not engage, _"_ Razor said. _"Let us know."_

"Understood, Razor," Optimus said as he walked over a hill.

His injuries from the blast were minor. He was just dazed.

Optimus wasn't going to listen to Razor. This island had a lot of iron and other minerals that blocked signals all he had to do was drag Rotors to a cave or mountain side and make him pay.

He heard footsteps and stealthily followed them and saw Rotors near a cave.

How perfect.

He lunged at Rotors, pushing into the cave, punched and pinned into the ground.

"Where are they?! What did you do to them?!" Optimus ordered.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Stop hitting me!" Rotors whined.

"What have you done to Ionix and Bumblebee?!"

Rotors smirked. "Oh, I made them into mechs. Drugging them _really_ helped."

Optimus roared as he continued to punch Rotors in the face.

Xxx

"What do you mean his signal's gone?" Arcee asked.

"I mean there's probably some sort of interference with his signal. Probably some kind of natural minerals," Raf said.

"Then how did we get the crash site location?" Bulkhead asked.

"We used Buzzsaw to copy the ship's main computer to find the rest of the ship and escape pods."

"Should we go?" Miko asked.

"Perhaps the Protectobots should look for they boys while the rest of us look for Optimus," Airachnid suggested.

"Depends, what are you gonna do when you find him?" Arcee asked.

"Well, if he doesn't comply, knock him out and bring him back here. We were ordered not to kill each other on this mission, remember? Besides, _Megatron_ wants to snuff Optimus, and guess who's in sick bay?"

"I'm not sure if there are any better ideas," Air Raid said.

"We better get a medic," Bulkhead said.

"Razor could help us," Arcee said.

"I doubt it. My sister's patients may be stable, but there's no way in the pits of Kaon she'll leave them," Airachnid said.

"So, we're bring Knockout?"

"Obviously. We just have to find him. It's highly unlikely that your medic will be mentally able to handle this one."

"Let's get ready to go," Air Raid said.

Xxx

Heatwave slowly woke up. He got scared for a second but then realized he was in Razor's private recovery room.

There was an energon I.V. in his arm.

He didn't want his memories back. He wanted them gone again.

Firestar entered his room. "Oh, you're up."

"Think I can have a memory wipe or something?" Heatwave asked.

"Heatwave, treatments like that are VERY dangerous! You could end up a vegetable!"

"Well, it's better than these stupid memories! They hurt so much…" 

"If they're really bothering you, you can talk to Razor, but, for now you can talk to be," Firestar sat on the berth with him. "Chief Burns… filled us in on what originally happened to you, so we could help when…"

"Why didn't somebody tell me before I met him again?"

"We didn't want to scare you."

"I'm getting some rest," Heatwave covered himself with his blanket.

Xxx

The Autobots and Decepticons arrived on the island.

"S-so, uh, what are we doing again?" Knockout asked.

"You and Breakdown are going to find Ionix and Bumblebee and bring them back here for a groundbridge. The rest of us are going to do the same with Optimus," Arcee said.

"What about Rotors?" Breakdown asked.

"If you find him: kill him. If we find him: same result," Airachnid said.

"Yeah, Breakdown, I'm gonna leave that one up to _you_ ," Knockout said.

Xxx

Bumblebee and Ionix slowly woke up.

"Ugh… my head… wait a minute," Ionix looked around and saw that they were in an escape pod. "'Bee, you okay?"

("Ugh, the last thing I remember was…") Bumblebee's optics widened. ("ROTORS! He took us! We have to make sure we weren't violated!") he immediately began checking for injuries.

"'Bee, the only injuries we have are head and crash injuries."

("I'M MISSING A LATCH!")

"Which latch?"

("Left hip! Oh, Primus, my pelvic armor's coming loose! He must have torn it off!")

"'Bee, calm down. It probably came off in the crash."

(Stop getting my hopes up!")

"Well, I guess we found you," Knockout said as he entered the crashed pod.

Bumblebee shrieked as he held up his pelvic armor.

"Relax, Bumblebee. I may be gay, but I'm not like that," Knockout said as he got out his medical kit.

"Dude, _no one_ asked," Ionix said.

("Wow, you're a walking stereotype,") Bumblebee said.

"Well, forget that I said it and both of you sit down while I scan you," Knockout said.

"'Bee lost his left hip latch. Can you give him something to calm down?" Ionix asked as he and Bumblebee followed Knockout's order.

"Sure, Bumblebee, stay still," Knockout examined the injury. "You have nothing to worry about. The damage suggests you bumped into something. And it looks like your armor hasn't been removed. It could still be here. Have either of you experienced light-headedness?"

"A little, now that you mention it."

"You two sit still while we look for the latch."

Xxx

Blades, Boulder, and Chase were watching Jackie until she went back to her human form or close enough.

"Razor says that Heatwave's awake and that we can talk to him if we want to," Blades said.

"Shouldn't we give him a few days to recover?" Chase asked.

Jackie growled and nodded.

"Heatwave could also ask for a memory wipe," Boulder said.

"If he does that, he could be even more distant and then we'll have a repeat of this situation."

Chase sighed as he stood up. "I'm going to see what Chroma wanted to talk about."

Xxx

("Knockout, are you sure I'm okay? I mean, you SAID I'm okay, but you couldn't find my latch despite it being canary yellow which means Rotors took it and if Rotors took it he probably—")

"Bumblebee, shut up!" the other three mechs said.

"If this bothers you so much then you can talk to Razor," Knockout said. "How's the tape holding up?"

("Surprisingly well,") Bumblebee looked at the yellow duct tape patch on his left hip.

"Okay, Razor, we're here and Bumblebee and Ionix want to have check-ups," Breakdown commed.

"Mostly Bumblebee," Ionix said.

" _I'll prep the exam room. A few Decepticons are being moved back to their ship for further recovery, so there might be some traffic,"_ Razor said as the groundbridge opened.

The four bots entered the groundbridge.

Xxx

"A sparkling? Are you sure?" Chase asked.

"Yeah… I kinda feel like it's a bad thing, to be honest," Chroma said.

"What if it's another false positive?"

"Razor ran a couple other tests to confirm, so we better get prepping."

"I will immediately start researching," Chase got up to leave.

"Chase, you need to give something to Heatwave."

Xxx

Chase walked to Heatwave's room with a puppy in his hands.

Firestar stopped him before he reached the room. "Heatwave's in recharge. What's that creature you're holding?"

"A puppy. Chroma says Heatwave likes this puppy. Her name is Sparkler," Chase said.

"Oh, it's adorable! I'll give it to him as soon as he wakes up," Firestar took the puppy from Chase.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some research to do," Chase left.

Xxx

"So, how did Airachnid come up with this search method?" Arcee asked a nearby vehicon.

"She researches earth hunting mothods in her spare time. This one is used for finding missing people," the vehicon said.

"Really?"

"Yep."

They then heard some shouting.

"What's that?" Arcee asked.

"Something about Optimus and weapons," the vehicon said.

They followed the others and were shocked by what they saw:

Optimus had Killed Rotors and was a different color.

Some of the Decepticons were talking about how Optimus looked like a Decepticon.

Optimus slowly stood up, panting and began walking towards them.

Some of them got their weapons ready.

Optimus took a few more steps before collapsing.

"Go contact Razor!" Airachnid ordered a vehicon.

Bulkhead and Arcee ran to Optimus, who had fainted.

"We're gonna need some help getting him to the pick-up zone," Air Raid told some vehicons.

"And why would we help _you_?" one vehicon asked.

"Because this whole Rotors deal isn't over," Airachnid said. "Now, help them get Optimus to the pick-up site and tell my sister to get some bots to get what's left of Rotors."

The vehicons grumbled as they followed Airachnid's order.

Xxx

Jack finally got a signal and called Miko.

"Miko, what's going on?!" he asked. "You're on speaker phone."

" _Well, everybody's more or less okay. Except for Rotors—"_

First Aid tensed up.

"— _he's head."_

"Phew! It's over," First Aid said. "It's finally over."

" _By the way, what happened to Ratchet?"_

"He tried fixing the comm by holding on antenna to it and got electrocuted."

"Something like that. Is Optimus okay?" Jack asked.

" _I don't know. We're being kept in the dark. Oh! I gotta go, I'll fill you in later!"_

Xxx

"Knockout, do you always electrocute your patients when they panic?" Razor asked after Knockout electrocuted Bumblebee.

"Hey, when they panic, I panic!" Knockout said.

"Look, just repair his latch. We both know he's alright. Rotors just took his latch to make Optimus kill him," Razor handed him the latch.

Xxx

Optimus was pacing around the room he was put in, trying to figure out if what Rotors said was true.

"Oh, you're already up," Razor said.

"D-did Rotors—"

"Don't worry, they're fine. The worst that happened to them was being drugged."

"How are they?"

"Heatwave will be… fine once he's back on his medication and therapy and emotional support. Bumblebee had a startle, but he'll be fine. Ionix says he's going to move in with you and your bots."

Optimus sighed. "Well, that's _some_ good news. Why did Rotors… take Bumblebee's latch?"

"Look, he's like an amalgamation of John Wayne Gacy and the Joker. He most likely did it to make you snap."

"Well, he succeeded long before that."

Xxx

During the following month, Heatwave had a surgery to remove his gestation chamber, the Protectobots and Slayer were in the planet's atmosphere, Darksyde was in the _Broadside'_ s brig, First Aid rejoined the team, and Firestar and Inferno joined the team as reserve members.


	41. The Land Before Prime

The summer had since we last saw our heroes and Optimus Prime had come to see them.

"Rescue Force Sigma 17, you have learned much since my last routine inspection. I am impressed with what I see," Optimus said.

"I hope so. Heatwave waxed his chassis like nine times for this," Kade muttered to T.J.

'You sure it's not a side effect?' T.J. mouthed back.

Kade shrugged his shoulders.

"But I also wish to see how well you do with your partners," Optimus said looking at the two.

"Yeah," the two meekly said.

"Okay, team, let's show Optimus Prime what we've got," Chief Burns said.

The team entered the firehouse.

"You can watch with me. I got the best seat in the firehouse," Cody said.

"Thank you, Cody," Optimus said.

They ran into Chroma when they entered the bunker.

"Optimus Prime, sir," Chroma saluted him.

"At ease, sold—" he noticed her belly, "er…"

"Yes, I'm gestating and due in six months."

"Is Heatwave in anyway—"

"Yeah, I'm going to stop you right there. We don't bring it up," Firestar said.

"I apologize."

Xxx

"Ready, Boulder. Just follow this pattern of impacts and angles and everything should work," Graham showed Boulder instructions on a tablet.

"On it, Graham. Let's get artistic," Boulder smashed and rearranged rocks into the Rescue Bot insignia.

Xxx

"They've been working on that all week," Chroma said.

"Nobel," Cody said.

Optimus was impressed.

" _Yawn. Being a first responder is all about speed. Watch this,"_ Kade said.

Xxx

Kade, Heatwave, Chief and Chase were racing down the mountain.

"Remember, Chase, hug the turns," Chief said.

"I will embrace them heartily," Chase said.

Chief and Chase passed Kade and Heatwave.

"Hang on, Kade. This way's faster," Heatwave gestured to the ocean.

"Yeah, but there's no road that way," Kade nervously said.

Heatwave drove faster to the cliff edge.

"Heatwave? Heatwave!" Kade shouted.

Heatwave broke through the guard rail.

"There's no road!" Kade screamed.

Heatwave turned into his boat form after landing in the water. He sped to a rock sticking out of the water and launched himself onto the bridge in front of Chase.

"What took you so long?" Heatwave taunted Chase.

"Do you have a permit to operate a water vehicle in the _air_?" Chase taunted back.

"Eyes on the skies, guys. Blades is gonna loop the griffin," Dani said.

"Yeah, I'm gonna – wait, what?" Blades asked.

" _Seriously? I'm not even close to replacing him,"_ First Aid said.

Blades and Dani did the maneuver.

"Hey, Dani, that wasn't so bad," Blades said.

Then Dani noticed something.

A pterodactyl.

It shrieked and lunged at them.

"Okay, that's bad," Blades said.

Blades and Dani fled from it.

"Dani, it's gaining on us," Blades said.

"Not for long. We just need to fly faster and higher," Dani said.

The flying reptile bit at them

"AHH! Normally, I'd say no way. But today I'll make an exception," Blades said as he and Dani took cloud cover.

The pterodactyl lost them.

"Dad, I think we just got chased by a pterodactyl," Dani said.

Xxx

"Pterodactyl! Guess it doesn't know it's extinct. Cody, do you have a visual?" Chief asked.

Xxx

"It's landing on Mount Griffin," Cody said.

" _Call Jackie and Doc greene,"_ Chief said. _"Chase and I';; close the mountain trails and meet the team at the firehouse."_

"Yep, now here's the chaos," Chroma said.

"Is this the second time we've dealt with extinct reptile?" First Aid asked.

"Yes, as I recall you were sedated at the time," Optimus said.

Xxx

The team and Jackie were in the bunker having a video chat.

" _A pterodactyl! How exciting! I've wanted to see one since I was a Compsognathus,"_ Doc said.

"A what?" First Aid asked.

"A dinosaur the size of a turkey," Chroma explained. "Probably had feathers."

"I appreciate you taking a closer look," Doc," Chief said.

"Wait, why am I here?" Jackie asked.

"Back up," Chroma said.

"I'm telling you, that pterodactyl is the same one that attacked me before," Blades said after Doc hung up.

"Yeah, except I ATE it!" Jackie said. "Miko's got pictures to back me up."

"I'm telling Ally what's going on here," T.J. began texting.

"Maybe it's his brother," Blades said. "I never forget something that tries to eat me."

"Yeah, it's got different patterning," Jackie said.

"Maybe it flew up here somehow after the main tunnels collapsed," Dani said.

"Much as happened in my absence," Optimus said.

Chase opened his mouth, but Chroma stopped him.

"I've been keeping track of what we learned since I'm on maternity leave, sir," she handed Optimus a datapad.

"Didn't the Protectobots tell you what happened?" Jackie asked.

"Only what happened with them," Optimus said. "Although, Inferno did mention an explosion."

"A chain of explosions caused deep sinkholes beneath Griffin Rock," Graham showed Optimus the pictures on his tablet. "It's possible it reached as far down as the prehistoric caverns." Graham accidently showed a picture of baby Kade.

"Aww! Oh, wait, that's me! Graham!" Kade shouted.

"Blackmail dibs!" Jackie went dragon a bit.

"Oops! Sorry, wrong album," Graham then got a map up.

"Jackie, why don't you look for the pterodactyl?" Optimus said.

"And don't eat it this time!" K-9 said.

Xxx

Cody tried to bugle, but he just made K-9 howl and Jackie made a squawk far off.

"Scratch bugling off the list," Cody said.

"Is there a sick moose out here?" Heatwave asked as he and First Aid walked up to the human.

"That was me. I'm just trying to choose my Lad Pioneer Merit Project. It has to be fun AND educational."

"That's easy. Self-defense. It's fun, and I'll educate you."

They walked over to some empty big barrels.

"Try not to damage them. Jackie wants them for her movie making club," First Aid said.

"Here, pretend this is an oncoming Morbot. Arms out and…" Heatwave grunted as he demonstrated the move. "There, now you try. Trust me, this'll even impress the _Adult_ Pioneers."

Cody tried and struggled.

Heatwave tapped it over.

"I think he needs something more _his_ size," First Aid said.

Cody sighed. "Back to the book."

"Cody, did you know what Jackie did for _her_ project?" Firestar asked.

"A one person play about Jack the Ripper. But I don't think the advisors will like another true crime project."

"Well, how about something your family has done?" Firestar gave a chuckle. "We taught Heatwave fire safety for his Junior Rescue Team."

"Heatwave, you were in a scout's team?"

"It was a long time ago," Heatwave said.

"Let's head back inside," First Aid said. "Do some research."

Xxx

Optimus and Chief were in the command center.

"I'd offer you a chair, but…" Chief trailed.

"Thank you, Chief. I can observe any emergencies quite well from here," Optimus said.

The emergency line went off.

Chief answered. "911 dispatch. Doc, is that you?"

Xxx

"Unfortunately, yes. I can report that the pterodactyl is real. And apparently, _she_ finds me attractive," Doc said as the reptile chased him in his hang glider.

Xxx

"Doc, when I said observe that thing, I meant with a telescope!" Chief said.

" _You say 'potato', I say 'Solanum tuberosum',"_ Doc said.

"I'm sending air support. And a cage. Be careful."

Xxx

Jackie was talking with classmate Trey about how that pterodactyl should look like when her phone rang.

"Animal control, dragon unit. What do you need?" Jackie asked.

" _Jackie, Doctor Greene is being chased by an extinct flying reptile. We acquire your assistance,"_ Optimus said.

"Heh. Still can't say 'pterodactyl', can ya?"

" _And you can't spell it. Just help him."_

"I am," Jackie went t1 and flew off.

Xxx

The pterodactyl cooed at Doc.

"Oh, ho. That's very kind of you to say, but I'm afraid I'm not your type. Or species," Doc said as the reptile followed him.

"Yippy kai ay, unclefucka!" Jackie yelled as she used her agsaber to muzzle the reptile and rode it like a bull rider.

"Watch out below, guys. We're gonna try to catch that bird," Dani said as she and Blades arrived at the emergency.

"Let me help!" Jackie grunted as she steered the reptile into the cage, closed the door, and locked it.

"That was awesome!" Blades said.

Xxx

The pterodactyl was making noise on top of the firehouse.

Blades tried to close its beak shut when it bit him. "Ow, ow, ow! Beak! Ow!"

"Let me do this," Jackie used her transmutate abilities to communicate with the reptile. "Easy, girl." She gave the reptile some meat.

Doc put a bracelet on its ankle. "There! Now that my tracking device is in place, we can release the pterodactyl."

"See? You'll be back to your baby in no time."

"Release it?" First Aid asked.

"We just caught it," Blades said.

"She's a mommy with a young hatchling," Jackie said.

"How do you know that?" Firestar asked.

"Her hair's blue. That happens when she tyalks to animals," Heatwave explained.

"And if we track the pterodactyl back to her nest, and we'll figure out how she got here," Cody said.

Jackie then opened the cage without warning.

"I got it!" Inferno shot at the reptile as it flew off.

"Inferno, stop! We're tracking it!" Heatwave yelled as they ran to the edge of the roof.

"I thought we were killing it."

"No, honey. Now, go inside and put your shot gun away," Firestar said.

Inferno grumbled as he followed his mate's orders.

Graham looked at the reptile with his binoculars. "She's leaving the island. The open subterranean rift must _not_ be on Griffin Rock."

"That thing flies, not swims. How did it get up from the ocean?" Kade asked.

"Wow, you're dumb," K-9 said.

"The ocean's not the only thing out there. What about Wayward Island?" Dani asked.

"What about Hawaii?" Blades asked.

Everyone looked at him.

"What? I mean, if we're all guessing, let's try there?" Blades asked.

"Yeah, to be honest, I'm sick of snow and black ice," First Aid said.

"I would be happy to search for the deep earth passage, Chief," Doc said. "A chance to study a pterodactyl in the wild is one is 65 million."

"I don't know, Doc. It seems dangerous," Chief said.

"I'll bring Trex. What more logical bodyguard than a dinosaur?"

"I can literally think of 20," First Aid said.

"Well, I'm going home. I think I got something," Jackie said.

Xxx

Kade entered the bunker. "Heatwave? Dude, Doc's waiting for us at the docks with Trex."

"Heatwave's got a hormone problem. In his room crying like a sparkling," Inferno said.

"Hey!" Chase defended his friend and leader.

"Oh, he did that before when he hit puberty."

"Again, hey!"

"He means we know how to handle Heatwave," Firestar said. "Heatwave will be ready in a few minutes."

Heatwave then walked in. "No. I'm ready now."

"You sure?" Kade asked.

"I cried all my tears out and won't cry again for, like, 12 hours!"

"Okay then, but if you get sobby on the mission, I'm totally chill with it."

Heatwave grumbled as he and Kade left.

Xxx

Heatwave, Kade, Doc, and Brains drove to Wayward Island while towing Trex in a raft.

"We're nearing the pterodactyl," Doc said. "Can you dock on the shore ahead?"

Heatwave docked and Doc got out with help from Trex.

"Back soon. No need to worry. Unless you hear yelling. In which case, you are not only free to worry, but to come assist us," Doc rode Trex to the location.

"Why do we trust him?" Brains asked.

"I dunno," Kade said. "Should we have brought Jackie?"

"Dunno."

"So, Heatwave… how are you doing?"

"Yeah, man, you've been crying for months."

Heatwave sighed. "Look, what I say here… you can't say to anyone else. A-after my last surgery… my hormones were changing too fast and I… almost slit my wrists. Luckily, I talked to Razor and she said it was normal for… mechs in my position to feel like that and she helped me through it. She gave me medicine so I couldn't dream. E-except… I-I want my kids! I want my kids… I lost the first to an unfortunate circumstance and I killed my second! I-I'm horrible!"

"Dude, you're not horrible. You did what you thought was best," Kade said.

"And Jackie's aunt is breeding baby goats this year. You can visit their place any time and let kids climb all over you! That's better than sticky human kids. Except, more piss and shit," Brains said.

"Not helping."

"Great… now I'm going to be a crazy pet person hoarder!" Heatwave said.

"No, Heatwave. The whole team's got your back."

"Yeah, you even forgave First Aid for poisoning you and making you lose your first," Brains said.

"What the fuck?!"

"I second that! He did what?!" Heatwave exclaimed.

"You don't know about First Aid going coo coo? I thought Blades told you," Brains said.

"Okay, when we get home, I'm killing First Aid."

"No, no, no, no, no! d-don't do that! That-that's really bad!" Kade said.

"Can Doc be in trouble now?" Brains asked.

"Kade, Heatwave! Help!" Doc said.

"This planet has a god!"

"Ugh!" Heatwave transformed and ran to Doc's location and saw him being cornered by a carnivorous T. rex-like dinosaur.

He spayed the dino saur with water to keep it from eating Doc.

"Run for the shore, Doc! Hurry!" he said.

Doc got the eff out of dodge.

"Back off scaly! I've dealt with your kind before! Oof!" Heatwave got rammed by a triceratops.

"Ooh!" Brains and Kade grunted.

"Okay, I'm buckling you in!" Kade put Brains in a seatbelt after the minibot slammed into his head.

"Okay, that's a new one," Heatwave said.

A stegosaurus then slammed him with her tail, knocking him down.

The dinosaurs began to beat him up.

"Can't you—ah!—do something—whoa!—Heatwave?!" Kade asked.

"Like fragging retreat?!" Brains asked.

"Nuh-nuh-no! Nuh-nuh-no!" Heatwave started to go into the fetal position.

"What's going on?!" Kade asked.

"Oh, man! He's freaking out!" Brains slid out of the seatbelt and went for Heatwave's dashboard. "Tell him to retreat!"

"What?!"

"Ow!" Heatwave jolted as he got shocked from inside his cab.

"Drive!"

Heatwave transformed and sped back to the shore where Doc was, got him in, drove into the water and transformed into a boat, and sped off again because the dinosaurs were still chasing them.

"Poor Trex. I'm sorry we had to leave him behind," Doc said.

"We'll be back," Heatwave said. "I have a score to settle with those dinosaurs. And then First Aid…"

xxx

"Can't we at _least_ have dimmed lights?" Firestar asked.

"No, that will ruin the theatrics," Chase said.

"Trust me, there's no argu—whoa!" Chroma tripped over something.

"Chroma, are y—oh!" Chase then tripped over Chroma.

Cody turned on the lights. "What's going on?"

"Chase and I were doing a game show based on police stuff to help you with your Lad Pioneer project," Blades said. "Wheelie's supposed to be here with the money."

"Here I am," Wheelie rode in on a goat. "Turns out driving a goat's pretty hard."

"You got the money?"

"I do!" Wheelie held up the envelope.

"Did the stupid game show fail?" First Aid asked.

"Yes, c-can you see if the sparkling's okay?" Chase asked.

"Sure," First Aid scanned Chroma. "Everything's good."

"Oh, thank Primus!"

"So, is the thing off?" Wheelie asked.

"Yeah, this was a bad idea," Chroma said.

"Now what am I gonna do?"

"Just give Cody the money. He'd hardly get any right."

"And the winner of the craziest family goes to…"

"Thanks, Wheelie," Cody said.

"Cody…" Optimus started.

"Just do what Jackie and Heatwave did," Firestar said.

"Firestar, I don't believe—"

"I'm telling him to do a project on _his_ interests."

"Oh, well, great minds think alike."

"Um, Optimus, Inferno just bet his shotgun to First Aid that nothing crazy happens today and Chroma says Chase's laugh's gonna scare the sparkling," Blades said.

"It will not!" Chase said.

"Inferno, why are you betting your firearm?" Optimus asked.

"Because it can't get crazier than an extinct flying reptile," Inferno said.

"And there's a killer clown epidemic on the mainland," First Aid said.

"Okay, they're not coming here," Chroma said.

" _Everyone to the garage. Doc's back with a dinosaur of a tale,"_ Chief said.

Xxx

"… and then they attacked us—herbivores _and_ carnivores working together,"  
Doc said.

"Yeah, and I got the dents to prove it," Heatwave said.

"But, where did they all come from?" Dani asked.

"From that souterrain passage Doc found," Graham said. "They could've been living underground for millions of years."

"Then WHY don't they LOOK DIFFERENT?!" T.J. asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We've been walking on top of dinosaurs our whole lives?" Kade asked.

"There are more things under this world, Kade, more than humans know," Optimus said.

"And I'd like to keep it that way. Look at this," Chief turned on the TV to a news report on Mayor Luskey planning on making the pterodactyl a tourist attraction.

Cody's phone rang. He put it on speaker phone. "Jackie, did you see the news, too?"

" _Yep. I think people are gonna—ah-CHOO!—get eaten. Ha! Survival of the smartest!"_ Jackie said.

"If the mayor knew about Wayward…"

" _Jurassic Parked!"_

"We have to protect those dinos, get them back underground," Chief said.

"W-w-w-wait. You're telling us to go to an island filled with dinosaurs? No thanks, I've seen that movie," Blades said.

"Yeah, I'm with Blades on this one," First Aid said.

"Optimus, I would be honored if you would lead our mission," Heatwave said.

"Thank you, Heatwave, but I will stay with Cody and observe your full-scale mission," Optimus said.

" _I'll be right over!"_ Jackie said.

"No, Jackie, if you're sick—"

" _Cody, I have soup!"_

Heatwave sighed. "We won't let you down, sir. Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue!"

Xxx

The bots were on their way to Wayward and Cody, Optimus, Jackie, and Chroma were in the command center.

"Jackie, why do you want to view this mission while you're ill?" Optimus asked.

"You didn't hear what First Aid did? Heatwave found out!" Jackie said.

"What did First Aid do?" Chroma asked.

"I'll tell you in Cybertronain: (he aborted Heatwave's first sparkling.)"

"What?!" Optimus and Chroma exclaimed.

"This is gonna get crazier than a telenovela!" Jackie said.

"How did Heatwave find out about this?" Optimus asked.

"Brains said that he told Heatwave by mistake and that I should DEFINATLY not go."

"That is a wise decision."

"Wait, what happened?" Cody asked.

Xxx

The team arrived on Wayward and Graham set up a drone camera.

"There. I boosted this hover camera's feed, so the others can watch us at home," Graham said.

"Good thinking, Graham. Everyone into your bots. We don't want any more surprises," Chief said.

"Um, First Aid doesn't have—"

"T.J., I'm with Dani, you, Kade," Raychel said.

Xxx

They arrived at the dinos' location.

"Look, there's Trex," Blades pointed at the dino robot trapped under a rocky avalanche.

"Trex is good boy," the robot sadly said as the bots went to free him.

The carnivorous dinosaur roared at them.

First Aid activated his EM field. "Stay behind me, guys," he said as the other dinosaurs ganged up on them.

"Why are they mad? We didn't do anything," Boulder said.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they're still mad from last time," Heatwave said.

" _Yeah, I don't think they see_ you _as a threat,"_ Brains said.

"It was _one_ mental breakdown!"

"Clear out those boulders, team. It's time for these dinos to go home," Chief said.

"I think I have an idea to stop them!" Heatwave threw First Aid at them.

"Heatwave!" everyone scolded.

"Not mature!" Firestar said.

"My backside's stuck between it's horns!" First Aid yelled from the triceratops.

They heard Jackie fall down laughing.

" _Being upside down is not helping,"_ Wheelie said.

"Inferno, you handle the dinosaur, I'll help First Aid," Firestar.

"Why am I stuck with the tail end?!" Inferno said.

"Shouldn't be too hard, considering your ex."

The bots then had to deal with temperamental dinosaurs, resulting in Blades getting hurt.

"Fall back and regroup!" Heatwave ordered.

"That's strange. I wonder why they aren't chasing us?" Boulder asked as they drove away.

They then landed in a tar pit.

"I believe you have your answer, Boulder," Chase said.

Firestar, Inferno, and First Aid caught up to them.

"First Aid, can you use your EM's to free them?" Firestar asked.

"I can, but I won't," First Aid crossed his arms. "Heatwave knew the plan and he sabotaged it."

"Well, maybe **YOU** did something **I** didn't like!" Heatwave said.

"You know what? You can just free yourselves without me," First Aid left to the beach.

"What happened between you two?" Inferno asked.

"Heatwave doesn't want to talk about it," Kade said.

"Where did this tar come from?" Raychel asked.

"Probably another underground rift," Graham said.

"I don't care where it came from! How do we get out of it!" Kade asked.

"I'll add more water," Inferno hosed the tire while Firestar went to check on First Aid.

"I don't think that's how it works," Heatwave said.

"You got a better idea?"

"Ugh. No."

"I hope the others are watching," Chief said.

Xxx

"Oh, no! they're stuck in that tar pit!" Cody said as they watched the feed.

"Too bad I'm sick," Jackie said. "I would _so_ help."

"They're sinking fast!" Chroma said. "This won't end well for _either_ species!"

"Then my time for observing is over," Optimus went to leave.

"Wait, Optimus, please. I have to go with you. They're my family," Cody said.

"I understand how important they are to you, Cody. You may come with me."

"First, we're going to have to find a boat."

"Cody, Cybertronians can practically turn their cabs into pressurized submarines, you know that, right? You can just drive," Jackie said.

Xxx

Optimus and Cody arrived at Wayward.

"Optimus! Are you here to help?" Firestar asked.

"Yes. And I would appreciate it if you could take First Aid to Razor. We need to ask him a few questions," Optimus said.

"You heard him, First Aid. Let's go," she and First Aid drove into the ocean.

"Dad, we're here. Are you guys okay?" Cody commed.

" _Been batter, son. Glad you're here to help but be careful. Those dinosaurs mean business,"_ Chief said.

"As do we, Chief Burns," Optimus transformed. "I'm tracking your comm signal now."

He and Cody drove to where the dinosaurs were.

The dinosaurs circled them.

"Why won't they let us through?" Cody asked.

" _It looks like they're protecting something,"_ Jackie said. _"I'd try to negotiate, but…"_

"These creatures view anything not a dinosaur a threat," Optimus said.

"Too bad Trex can't help us," Cody said.

Optimus looked at Trex. "Perhaps he can." He got Cody out of his cab and put him in a tree. "Stay here, Cody Burns."

Xxx

"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" Chroma asked.

"He fucking is," Jackie said.

Xxx

Optimus jumped over the dinosaurs, climbed the rock pile he Trex was trapped under, scanned to robot, and transformed into a Cybertronian rex.

"Whoa! What did you just do?" Cody asked as Optimus walked back to him.

" _Something stupid!"_ Jackie said. _"I'm surprised he didn't go rogue."_

"I scanned Trex to obtain a new form," Optimus said.

"You look way cooler than Trex," Cody said.

"Scanning a being that is part biological and part mechanical can produce unexpected results. So, Jackie has every right to question my decision."

"Let's see what the other dinosaurs think," Cody jumped on Optimus' back and they approached the other dinosaurs.

The carnivore roared at Optimus and Optimus roared back louder.

The carnivore showed him rescpect.

"Definitely cool," Cody said.

Xxx

Kade was struggling to climb out of Heatwave's window.

"Dude, I told you to work out with me," T.J. said.

Kade repeated what T.J. said mockingly. "Heatwave, can you open your window more?"

"Not unless you wanna go swimming in tar. I told you not to eat that entire pizza," Heatwave said.

"How is he not dead?" Inferno asked.

"I ask myself that question every day."

Then they heard the dinosaurs roar.

"What… was that?" Kade asked.

"I think it's the dinosaurs," T.J. said.

"Close the window! Close the window!" Kade got back in Heatwave.

"Don't worry, guys. It's just us," Cody waved as he and Optimus exited the trees.

"Is that Optimus?" Dani asked.

"Optimus, I think you made a mistake," Inferno said.

"Why didn't anybody tell me Optimus was a triple-changer?!" Blades excitedly asked.

"It was a matter of time!"

Optimus helped them out of the tar.

"Ugh. Optimus, I apologize. I failed you in this mission," Heatwave said.

"This mission is not yet finished. Let us accomplish it together," Optimus said.

They walked back to where the dinosaurs were.

The dinosaurs were defensive until they saw Optimus.

"Those overgrown lizards don't stand a chance," Heatwave went to beat them up.

" _Wait! Optimus, can you ask the dinosaurs what's wrong?"_ Jackie asked.

"We shall see," Optimus walked to them and began communicating with them.

" _Remember, the first_ Doolittle _movie."_

Optimus walked to the mountain slide.

"Baby dinosaurs!" Cody shouted.

"Kade, you owe me $50," T.J. said.

"Everyone, I advise you to cover your audio receptors," Optimus said before he let out a whirring roar that got rid of the rock.

The dinosaurs thanked him and went beck into the hole to nurture their young.

"Aww! Dino babies are so cute!" Blades said.

"They bite too, you know?" Dani asked.

"We better seal up that crack to keep them safe underground again," Graham said.

"And off the mayor's 'tourist attraction' list," Boulder said.

As they sealed the crack, Heatwave walked up to Optimus.

"Woy to go, Opti—"

Optimus immediately reacted to Heatwave's back pat with aggression.

Heatwave freaked and curled up on the ground.

Optimus quickly snapped himself out of it. "Ugh. I am… {sigh} sorry, Heatwave."

" _Bot form, now, Optimus! You almost pulled a Jackie!"_ Chroma said.

Optimus transformed back into bot mode after letting Cody down.

"Heatwave, why don't you head back to the firehouse? We'll finish up here," Inferno said.

Xxx

Optimus and Heatwave arrived on the _Broadside_. They were going to talk with First Aid.

Well, Optimus was. Heatwave wasn't really able to. He just had an appointment with Razor.

"Heatwave, Optimus," Razor greeted. "I did another psych evaluation on First Aid."

"Did you find out he was a complete psychopath?" Heatwave asked.

"No. First Aid has disassociated identity disorder. Multiple personalities."

"What?! No. no, he's faking it."

"May I speak with him?" Optimus asked.

"Well, you're gonna have to wait until Red Alert's gone," Razor said.

"Didn't he di?" Heatwave asked.

"I'm talking about First Aid's alter. He's responsible for poisoning you."

"Let me talk with him. Please," Optimus said.

"You can try."

"Heatwave, you talk with Razor. Perhaps you'll find more about his condition."

"Fine," Heatwave grumbled.

Xxx

Heatwave sat down in Razor's office.

"What do we do?" he asked.

"Well, we can't medicate him. We just have to learn to live with it. It might go away, it might not. All I can tell you is Red Alert came into being probably around the time he poisoned you," Razor said.

"C-can we not bring it up?" when do you think we bring him back?"

"I recommend a few days… for you."


	42. Big Game

Heatwave was playing the _Risk_ video game with Chase when Blades walked up to them.

"When's First Aid gonna be back?" Blades asked.

"No idea. We just found out he's got D.I.D., he could switch personalities in front of humans and you know they'll panic," Heatwave said.

"He also cannot be medicated. Given what we know of 'Red Alert', he is somewhat evil," Chase said.

"I wouldn't say _evil_ , more like overprotective," Chroma said.

"There are methods of controlling his alter," Optimus said. "Razor is teaching him. Weather or not he returns to the team is up to Heatwave."

"I-I'm not sure I can. The wound's WAY too fresh. I don't even want to think about it," Heatwave said.

Chase said nothing as he patted him on the back.

"Optimus, when do you want to do the training?" Chroma asked.

"I'm going to wait and see how everyone is doing tomorrow," optimus said. "Heatwave, Chase, may I join you?"

"I'm not sure. This 'battle' Chase and I are doing is kinda dragging on," Heatwave said.

"Here," Chroma typed in an order and won the game for Heatwave.

"Chroma, I thought you were on _my_ team?" Chase asked.

"Sorry. Heatwave's odds were the winning ones."

Xxx

The next day the team was at the track Jackie and Lindsy's boarders used for their horses.

"We will meet on the field of battle. The road ahead will be difficult, more so than you believe. Rest assured, you will be pushed beyond your limits. But remember, your strength lies within you, as do your duty and honor. Therefore, rise up, each of you. Glory awaits the victor. Transform!" Optimus said.

The bots transformed into their bipedal forms while Jackie took a T2 shot amd when drgoan, and Emerald tied down her wings.

Chroma and sat on the sidelines.

"All right, let's run a clean race," Doc Greene said into his megaphone. "That means elbows in, Heatwave."

Heatwave groaned as he brought his elbows in.

"On you marks…" Doc said. "Get set…"

"Go!" Frankie laughed as she passed them on Trex. "Eat dino-dust, bipeds!"

Jackie gave a roaring hiss as she bounded after the tween.

"Frankie?" Doc asked.

"Hey, Autobots and Transmutates only," Heatwave said.

"That is practically unfair," Chase said.

"I think that's because it is!" T.J. said.

"She's gonna win!" Blades said as they raced after her.

"Run, run, run!" Boulder said.

"I believe two can play at that game," Optimus smiled as he ran. "Primal mode!" he transformed into his Dino-form.

"Nobel!" Cody said.

"Come on, Boulder, you got this!" Graham said.

"I think I can! I think I can!" Boulder panted.

"'The little Engine That Could'. One of my favorite earth tales," Optimus said. "Nice to know that you have been keeping up with your reading, Boulder."

"Though a more apt story would be 'The Tortoise and the Hare', because Boulder _is_ last," Chase said.

" _Real mature, Chase. You better not influence our sparkling like that!"_ Chroma said.

"Don't listen to him, Boulder, _slow and steady_ win the race," Chief Burns said.

"Boulder's a tortoise," Blades singsonged and laughed.

"You got time to laugh, you got time to run harder. I wanna win this," Dani said.

Heatwave turned around while running. "Remember, we won't be goofing off like the hare, so the tortoise can't possibly—whoa!" he tripped on a rock and landed on Jackie's tail. "Sorry, J—"

Jackie back handed slapped him.

"Ow!" Heatwave held his cheek.

"Bro, keep running!" Kade said.

"Just one thing," Heatwave bopped her on the nose. "It's not nice to hit people!"

Jackie's eyes and pupils narrowed as she growled at him.

"Heatwave, start running," Kade said.

"Scrap!" Heatwave ran as Jackie chased after him.

Back in the lead, Optimus and Cody were in second place.

"We're catching up!" Cody said.

"Good. The sooner I can convert out of Primal Mode, the better," Optimus said. "This form… clouds my thinking… as if…"

" _Prime! Whatever's going on, get away from the stressors!"_ Lindsy said. _"You're acting like Jackie used to!"_

"What was I saying?"

Optimus stopped running.

"Whoa, Trex. Something's wrong," Frankie said.

Jackie stopped going after Heatwave and trotted over to see what was going on.

Her instincts sensed a threat.

The rest showed up and saw Optimus' red optics.

Jackie tried to get her wings free.

Optimus gave a sonic roar, shooting rocks at them.

Everyone got launched into the rock wall and fell.

Optimus walked over to inspect them.

" _Why did you do that?"_ Jackie asked.

Frankie and Trex rode up beside Optimus.

Optimus roared at them.

"Optimus, no!" Cody said.

Jackie jumped between them. _"Snap outta it!_

Optimus roared and ran past them.

Jackie snorted as Boulder and Emerald freed her wings.

"Optimus needs our help. Let's move team," Chief said.

Xxx

Huxley was driving in his news van (which he probably lived in) and wasn't paying attention when a red and blue T. rex robot ran at him.

He swerved out of the way it continued on its way into town.

The emergency response team chased after it.

"Camera, follow that story!" he ordered.

The yellow hover-camera tailed them.

Xxx

Everyone in town was enjoying their day, drinking coffee, talking with neighbors and friends, walking children and pets, going to school and work.

That good day was ruined when the ground began to shake.

They looked in the direction the shaking was coming from and saw a red and blue robotic T. rex.

Everyone fled from the crazy tech… except one woman.

This woman was retired Agent Donna.

She was the Autobots' earth consultant before Agent Fowler.

She was probably the only human Optimus feared.

"No, Optimus! No!" she repeated as she clapped her hands in a disciplinary manner.

Optimus stopped and backed up a bit.

"Optimus, turn into vehicle mode!" Cody pleaded. "Or bot mode!"

"Un… un… unable… to…" Optimus started to go rogue again.

"No!" Donna shouted.

Semi-dragon Jackie showed up and sprayed him in the face with a water bottle. "Bad Dinobot! Very bad!"

"A rampaging robotic T. rex, truly terrified townsfolk, and four Rescue Bots racing in response," Huxley said while driving. "Can our metal heroes bay this bionic beast? Stay tuned."

Optimus scared more townsfolk while trying to shake Jackie off his smoke stack.

"Stop!" Dani said over Blades' PA system as they got in front of him.

Optimus shooed them away with a sonic roar.

The rest of the team arrived behind Optimus and he knocked Heatwave and Chase to the side.

A military-like aircraft appeared in the air.

"What is that?" Graham asked.

"I think it's going after Optimus," Boulder said.

"Run!" Cody said.

"Go!" Jackie said before biting him.

A tractor beam began to pull them up.

Boulder jumped to try and grab him but failed.

The craft abducted them and sped off.

"After it!" Dani told Blades.

"Where did it go?" Blades asked.

"Cody's still inside Optimus!" Kade said as the humans got out of the bots.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough," Boulder apologized.

"None of us were," Chief said before Huxley's hover-camera flew in his face.

Huxley pulled up in his van and got out.

"Huxley, we're gonna need your footage," Chief said.

"Seriously? We didn't have cameras that caught that plane-thing on film?" Raychel asked.

"This island has a limit?" T.J. asked.

Xxx

A while later, Jackie was petting Optimus under his chin to calm him.

"Wow, he's really calm, now," Cody said.

"Yeah, this environment helps, too," Jackie said. "Psycho thinks it's nighttime. Cody, you don't have to go, do you?"

"I'm good. Any idea where we are?"

"No, I gotta recharge before I go dragon again," Jackie looked at Optimus. "But, maybe _he_ can." She closed her eyes as they and her hair turned blue.

The tiki-drones returned, startling Jackie, who fell to the ground, knocking her out for a few seconds.

"Release the beast!" someone ordered.

"Well, shit," Jackie came to and saw that Optimus and Cody were gone.

She snuck out and found a garage guarded by a Russian Bear Dog.

The dog stood up, but before it could even growl at her, she used her powers to calm it.

She ran to the ATV and drove into the jungle on the island.

She stopped by the river and texted the team what was going on before looked up the company name she saw.

"Well, well, another douche," she said. "Looks like _two_ can play this came, though!"

She made sure her hair and eyes were blue before going to Find Colonel Quint Quarry.

Xxx

"So… using this freeze frame taken from Huxley's video, I ran an internet search for a match," Dani said. "Normally, Graham gets to do this kind of stuff, but, yeah, I kinda rocked it."

"Did you get something or not?" Chroma asked.

"I got a hit," Dani pressed a button and brought up a news article. "Colonel Quint Quarry—a big game hunter known for hosting _illegal_ safaris on his island."

"The very nerve!" Chase said.

"What's a safari?" Blades asked.

"I have no idea."

"In this case, it's a hunt," Chief said.

"And now he's stalking Optimus, with Cody and Jackie in the middle," Heatwave said.

"I'm not sure," First Aid said as he entered the bunker. "Quarry's scrap once Jackie recharges. Buzzsaw's on his way there already."

"Until that happens, Cody better stay out of trouble," Kade said.

"From what I've read, Quarry _catches and releases_ ," Dani said. "He won't hurt anything too expensive to replace."

"The risk is still high. We must locate this safari island immediately, if not sooner," Chase said.

"What's sooner than immediately?" Blades asked.

"I have no idea."

"Find him. That man messed with the wrong family," Chief said as he pounded his fist into his palm.

"He sure did," Blades mimicked Chief. "Ow!" he shook his hand.

The team dispersed, and First Aid walked up to Heatwave.

"C-can I talk to you?" First Aid asked.

"I… I guess," Heatwave said.

"I can't apologize enough about enough about what Red Alert and I did to you… but—"

"I'm never gonna forgive you for what you did. The whole team fragging knows."

"I don't expect your forgiveness. I just want your trust to rejoin the team. I'll listen to you every command this mission."

"Well, what does 'Red Alert' think?"

"You don't believe the diagnosis. Look, I've read that meditation can help some people with DI.D. and that's what I do every day now."

"Ugh. L-look, this rescue's way too important. You're on transmutate duty."

"Actually, we could use him right now," Boulder said.

"Well? Go, First Aid."

Xxx

Chief opened the door to the command center. "Any luck finding what's wrong with Optimus?"

"We think it's reduced energon levels," Boulder said.

"From scanning Trex, and that lowered his resistance to foreign bodies in his system," Graham said.

"Like when we get tired, we have a harder time fighting off colds," Frankie said.

"But what foreign bodies?" Chief asked.

"Doc Greene's theory is the real dinosaur D.N.A. used to build Trex, but I think it's something like Jackie—the hungrier _she_ got, the harder she could control her dragon form," First Aid said.

"We have no idea if scanning techno-organics can cause something like this," Boulder said.

"So, what's the solution?" Chief asked.

"Restoring Optimus' energon levels may work," Graham said.

"I got my I.V. kit prepared incase we find him. If Jackie finds energon, I told her to give it to him," First Aid said.

"Found the island. Wasn't hard. Quarry named it after himself," Heatwave said.

"First Aid, you're with us. You other four keep working. The rest of us are paying a visit to Coronel Quarry," Chief said.

Xxx

Jackie found Quarry. "Hi, douchebag."

"Who the hell are you?" Quarry asked.

Jackie showed him her credentials. "Griffin Rock Animal Control. I _was_ trying to stop the Dinobot when _you_ took us."

"Well, you ought'a get get back to my base camp and I'll have one of my aircraft take you home."

"Fuck that shit! I challenge you to a hunting duel. If I get the Dinobot and tame it, I keep him, the ATV, and your dog. If you win, you keep the Dinobot _and_ I'll throw in a dragon."

"A dragon? You're yanking my leg."

"Yes. And I have access to her. She's a wild one. Expert level."

Quarry thought for a minute. "You got a deal."

"Also, there might be a kid in the Dinobot, so you better not hurt him or you'll be dragon meal."

"Fine."

They shook hands.

Xxx

Quarry parked his jeep in his jungle and got out his megaphone. "Might as well give up now, Dinobot. I'm the best! It's in the record books! Ha, ha! You can look it up if you—AHH!"

Optimus' head was right by his face.

He drove off and Optimus chased him.

"That's right. Come after me," he said.

He drove through two pillars of rock. "Freeze zone. Maximum chill."

Optimus got frozen solid.

Xxx

Jackie looked at the livestream. "Yeah, like _freezing_ him will work."

She got a shovel out of the ATV and began digging.

Xxx

"Optimus… we have to get out of here," Cody said as he shivered. "Optimus?"

Optimus didn't respond.

Cody kicked out Optimus' windshield and got out.

"He'll be here any second! I'll stall him," Cody said.

Xxx

Quarry was driving his jeep to check on his catch when Cody ran right in front of him and he had to stop fast. "Who in blazes are you?"

"I'm… uh… the son of Griffin Rock's police chief," Cody said. "You're under arrest, mister!"

Quarry looked at him before laughing. "Nice try, mate! Now step aside while I go in and net me a T. rex."

Optimus roared as he stood in front of them.

Quarry shot a net at Optimus, but Optimus' sonic roar ahot it right back, trapping him.

Optimus took a step towards them.

"Kid, get outta the way!" Quarry said.

"Robot, stop! Don't hurt him! He's just a silly man," Cody said.

Optimus sniffed them before jumping off the cliff and into the jungle.

"Oh, that was kind of you kid," Quarry said as he got the net off his jeep. "Still, you'll be dealt with later. Follow the road to the base camp." He drove off.

Xxx

Jackie picked up what she dug up: several pieces of energon small enough to hold in her hand.

She put them in the ATV's cargo hold and drove off to find Optimus."

Xxx

"We're getting close," Inferno said.

"First Aid, are you sure five gallons of energon is enough?" Heatwave asked as he drove next to the boat.

"The hard part's going to be giving Optimus the I.V. Getting the energon in will be a piece of cake," First Aid said.

"Speaking of which, I'm picking up a signal," Emerald showed them her energon scanner.

"Who found it? Optimus or Jackie?" K-9 asked.

"There's a small, mobile signal. Probably Jackie."

"Oh, man. We got to secure the main energon site. If the Decepticons get there, we're out of the frying pan and into the fire," Firestar said.

"The _energon_ fire," Inferno said.

"What do we do?" Blades asked as he flew over the boat.

"It would help if you and K-9 guard it," Emerald said.

"What?!" Blades transformed and landed on Heatwave.

"Hey!" Heatwave said as he resurfaced with Blades hanging on.

"Sorry. But, WHAT?! What am I going to do id Decepticons come for energon?!"

"Here, take my shotgun," First Aid got the firearm out of his subspace.

Everyone looked at First Aid and Inferno.

"What? He won it in a bet!" Inferno said.

"I'm dead," Blades said.

"It's on safety," First Aid said. "It'll only stun bots."

"Dude, seriously?" Kade asked.

"Well, he can flip this switch in case he feels like he's in real danger."

"That does not help me," Blades said.

"Hopefully, we won't need to use it," K-9 said.

"Fine," Blades took the shotgun and put it in his subspace. "Let's go, K-9."

Blades transformed back into his alt mode, let K-9 in, and flew ahead.

"Just keep it secure," Inferno said.

Xxx

Boulder picked up the energon patch. "This energon patch should turn Optimus back to normal. Theoretically."

"Splended, Boulder," Doc said. "You and Graham take my sea lab to Quarry Safari Land post haste."

"There is a chance it could make him worse. I'm not sure we should risk it."

"Boulder, I'm sure it's fine. Come on, let's hurry," Graham said.

"No. Slow and steady, remember. I have _one_ more test to run."

Xxx

Lindsy met at the museum.

"Boulder, you _sure_ you want to do this?" she asked.

"I am," Boulder walked to the triceratops animatronic. "Made with real dinosaur D.N.A.?"

"Yep, just like Trex," Frankie said.

"Boulder, are you sure about this?" Doc asked.

"From what I heard, scanning a third form is a big deal," Graham said.

"Not every spark can do it," Lindsy said.

"The only way to make sure this patch will work is to use it on myself," Boulder said. "I'm not the first to do something like this."

"I heard all about scanning a third form from Heatwave," Frankie said. "This is exciting!"

Boulder walked next to the triceratops.

"Okay, Heatwave said that the first thing you have to do is relax," Frankie said.

"That's right. Thanks, Frankie," Boulder took a deep breath.

Frankie opened her mouth, but Lindsy cut her off.

"Heatwave already told them how to do it," she said.

Boulder scanned the dinosaur and transformed into a triceratops.

Doc pressed a button on the platform, locking Boulder in place. "In case the patch _doesn't work_."

"So, now what?" Graham asked.

"We wait. If I go wild, put the patch on. And run," Boulder said.

Xxx

Soundwave walked into the sick bay with a very beat-up Lazerbeak in his arms.

"What happened?" Knockout asked.

" _You won't believe it,"_ Soundwave said through a recording.

Xxx

"Well, doubt the 'Cons saw THAT coming!" Jackie said as she held out the energon crystal.

Optimus sniffed they crystal and his slobbery dino-glossa came out trying to eat the crystal.

"Ack! No, no, no!" Jackie gently pulled down his lower jaw and put the crystal on his glossa.

Optimus gobbled it up.

"Good, isn't it? Now, open your mouth again," Jackie said.

Optimus opened his mouth and Jackie put the rest of the crystals in his mouth.

"Don't run. I'm gonna watch you to see how you feel in a few minutes," Jackie said. She looked at his cab. "Wait, where the fuck's Cody?!"

Optimus growled.

"You don't know? You forgot? Great. I'll come back for you later. I have to go find Cody," Jackie got back on the ATV and drove off.

Xxx

Blades, Dani, and K-9 landed at the energon site.

"Guys, I'm scared," Blades whined.

"I know, I get jittery if I have to use my firearm, too," K-9 said.

"But, what if I shoot the energon?"

"Don't aim at it, then," Dani said.

"It's on safety, too," K-9 said.

Blades did a hard gulp.

Xxx

The rest of the team arrived on the island.

"Something tells me Coronel Quarry is already aware of our arrival," Chase said.

"Like what?" Heatwave asked.

"That."

A drone flew up to them.

"Into the trees, now!" Chief ordered.

The bots ran.

The drone shot two ropes at First Aid, hog tying him.

"Guys! Help!" he shouted.

Chase went to pick him up what First Aid's paint suddenly inverted, broke free, and threw a log at the drone.

"Quickly, we must evade the drone," Chase grabbed the mech's arm.

"Oh, my god, is that First Aid's alter?" Raychel asked.

"My _name's_ Red Alert!" the mech said.

"Oh, man, Razor was serious," Heatwave said.

"Let go of me!"

"Alright, but stay close to us," Chase let go.

Firestar sprayed the drone with water, shorting it out.

Xxx

Boulder roared as he broke free of the locks.

"Graham, I think it's time to administer the patch. Don't you?" Doc asked.

"Absolutely," Graham said.

They then realized that the patch was left next to Boulder.

"One of you guys get the patch, I'll calm down Boulder," Lindsy said.

"How?!" Graham asked.

"Like this," Lindsy got out her phone, got to YouTube, and selected a playlist.

" _Welcome to Crash Course World History,"_ said the video.

It did get Boulder's attention.

"Go," Lindsy said.

Graham got the patch and put it on Boulder.

"Boulder? Buddy?" Graham asked. "Feeling any better?"

"No," Boulder growled as he shook his head.

"Give it a minute. I think his optics are back to normal," Lindsy said.

Xxx

The team heard Optimus roar.

They ran into a clearing.

"Optimus?" Cody asked.

"Cody?" Heatwave asked. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay. But we have to help Optimus. He's being hunted."

"Rest assured. We will apprehend the perpetrator," Chase said.

The bots let the humans out of their cabs.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alright," Chief said.

"Where's Jackie?" T.J. asked.

"I think she's looking for Optimus," Cody said.

"Boulder and Graham are back home working on a cure for Optimus," Chief said.

"Wasn't that O.P. we just heard? Where is he?" Kade said.

Several Q Drones took the humans and started to take them away.

"Grab them!" Heatwave ordered.

The drones flew out of their reach and took them to the base camp.

Quarry's jeep un-camouflaged and he shot several nets at the bots, which almost got them.

"After him!" Heatwave ordered.

The bots chased Quarry.

"Alright then. Plan 'B'," Quarry said as he backed up his jeep and drove off into the jungle.

The bots ran to the top of a hill and saw Quarry facing them.

"Hello. Although you're no Dinobots, you have proven you'll make a fine addition to Quarry Safari Land. Congratulations," Quarry pressed a button.

Several metal bars surrounded them, and laser locked on top.

Red alert gulped.

The bots tried to break down the cage.

"Easy, big bruisers. Or you'll never see your human mates again," Quarry threatened.

"Back off. For now," Robot Heatwave said.

"Besides, the Titan Gorillas of the Congo couldn't break out of _that_ cage."

Several Q Drones carried them to the base camp.

"Ahh, yeah. Now…" Quarry got a net launcher as he got out of his jeep. "Time I got serious about bagging my dino. Advanced or not, you don't stand a chance against the keen instincts of a raw hunter!"

Jackie tapped his shoulder. "I see you found my friend, but…" she pointed behind them where Optimus was.

Optimus roared at them.

"Might wanna get your instinct prescription renewed," Jackie said.

Quarry aimed his net launcher at him, but Optimus used his sonic roar to knock him back.

"Oof! Uunh!" Quarry grunted.

Optimus stomped on the net launcher, breaking it.

"Q Droone, containment!" Quarry ordered.

"Dude, take cover!" Jackie tried to lead Optimus four drones caught him in an energy field.

"It's hardly sporting of me, I know. But we won't tell anyone, will we? Besides, tomorrow's another hunt," Quarry put his hat back on.

"Not for you, I'm afraid," Graham said as he appeared behind him. He motioned for Dino Boulder to come through the foliage and he and Lindsy came into view.

Boulder through a rock at the drones, destroying them and freeing Optimus.

Jackie used her agsaber to mount Optimus before changing it to 'harness'.

"You think you've won?" Quarry asked.

"We'll find out in a few minutes," Jackie said.

"No man, beast, OR machine has ever bested Coronel Quint Quarry!" he ran to his jeep.

"Come on, Op. let's chase him down," Jackie kicked him slightly and pulled the reins in the right direction.

Boulder totaled the jeep and Jackie and Optimus kept Quarry from running.

"Okay. You win… today!" Quarry ran to the jungle.

Optimus tried to run after him, pulled the reins back and Lindsy put the patch on him.

Optimus growled.

"Hey, earth to Optimus Prime! Anyone home?" Jackie said as she pulled the reins again.

"I… I-I am. The others. They may need our help," Optimus said.

Xxx

The humans were dropped into a cage while the bots were loaded into a helijet.

"Ow!" Cody held his right ankle.

"Cody, you okay?" Raychel asked.

"I think I sprained my ankle."

Quarry ran in and closed and locked the gate behind him.

Boulder knocked down the gate.

"Are you serious?" Raychel asked.

"Is that Boulder?" Cody asked.

"Q Drones, we're out here!" Quarry said as he ran to the helijet.

Jackie and Optimus followed behind Boulder.

"Now!" Jackie pointed at the incoming drones.

Optimus used his sonic roar to destroy them.

Quarry got in his helijet and started to take off.

A red EMP caused the helijet to crash and Quarry got out.

"Boulder, Optimus, you help the bots get out. I'll check on Cody," Jackie dismounted and used her agsaber to break the humans out. "Cody, you hurt?"

"He sprained his ankle," T.J. said.

Jackie turned to quarry. "He's hurt. You're dragon meal." She turned dragon.

"Oh, my god! I thought you were talking about a monitor lizard!" Quarry backed into a corner.

"Whoa! Jackie, don't eat him!" Graham said as Boulder and Optimus held her back.

Quarry found a working Q Drone and used it to escape.

"Jackie!" everyone scolded.

"You let him go!" Kade said.

Optimus sighed as he transformed back into bot mode. "Let's regroup and go back to Griffin Rock."

They then heard a dog barking.

Jackie went to the garage and came back with the Russian Bear Dog.

"Is _that_ a bear?!" T.J. exclaimed.

"I believe that is a breed of dog," Optimus said.

"Blades, Dani, K-9, we're heading home," Chief commed.

" _Oh, thank—"_ BANG _"-AHH_!" Blades yelled.

 _Xxx_

Optimus thanked the rescue team and ordered Team Prime to get the energon from Quarry's island before leaving.

Xxx

Heatwave was getting ready for his night shift with Kade when he saw First Aid recharging on the couch.

First Aid's alter hadn't left for hours after they rescued Cody and Optimus.

Razor said it could be concerning if Red Alert was present for more than one or two hours.

Heatwave knew that his carrier was currently recharging in First Aid's room and his 'sire' in Chroma's old room.

He picked up First Aid up and carried him to his room, tucked him in the berth, and left a note in case he was confused when he woke up.

He took the lift to the garage where Kade was.

"What took you?" Kade impatiently asked.

"First Aid was recharging on the couch, so I moved him to my room," Heatwave said.

"Are you sure he's okay with it?"

"Well, I left a note," Heatwave transformed into his alt mode.

"What are you gonna do with him?" Kade got in Heatwave and buckled his seatbelt.

"He's got a few more rescues to get my trust, but things are hopeful."


	43. Too Many Kades

The team was playing basketball at the firehouse.

"Okay, explain to me again, is this football?" Blades asked.

"It's not, it's basketball. Football's different," Jackie said as she brushed Mach Kick.

"I thought you hated sports," Kade said after he made a basket.

"I know sports stuff."

"Tomorrow's the big charity game. Teachers vs. Rescue Workers," Boulder said.

"Do we get to play?" Blades asked.

"Looks like Kade's not letting anyone play."

"Kade! I'm open!" Graham said.

"Over here!" Cody said.

"Pass it here, son," Chief Burns said.

Kade passed all of them. "Here he comes, and…" he made the basket. "Yes! Owning the dribble drive, and the crowd goes wild."

"This is why I hate sports," Jackie said. "And I read the instructions, you were supposed to pass to Cody."

"But I had the shot."

Jackie gave him a lone yellow sock. "That's the closest I have to a flag."

"Well, hey, in the offense department, Cody comes up a little short."

"Kade, that's just mean," Haylay said.

Jackie gave him a red sock.

"Does she know what she's doing?" Blades whispered.

Heatwave shrugged.

"You're not the only person on the team, son," Chief said.

"I know, too bad, right?" Kade said as he spun the on his finger.

Jackie started to take her boot off, but First Aid dived and put his hands around her.

"Good job, First Aid!" T.J. said. "Kade, you're a big brother, were on your high school football team, and NOW an emergency responder. You should know teamwork better than anyone."

"But, instead, you're a self-absorbed idiot who drags down the whole group project!" Raychel took the ball from him and tossed it to Cody.

"If I _was_ the only member on the team, we'd win the tournament tomorrow for sure," Kade said.

"Sic 'em, Mach!" Jackie ordered.

Mach charged Kade, but First Aid grabbed him, resulting in Jackie getting loose and throwing her boot, breaking a window on the firehouse.

"Yeesh, good throw, bad aim, am I right?" Kade asked.

"It's not a tournament, it's a charity game," Haylay said. "And the whole point is for my students to learn about teamwork. I don't think you're the best teacher," she put on her helmet and got on her scooter. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Sorry, everybody," she buckled her helmet and drove away.

"Haylay! Wait a second!" Kade briefly chased her.

"That's right keep talking. I think she lies you," Heatwave joked.

"Hey, I am who I am, all right? If she's not okay with it," Kade said.

"Are you sure he's related to us?" Cody asked his dad.

"Maybe someone left him in a basket on the firehouse doorstep," K-9 said as he got a broom.

The team walked to the firehouse.

"Where is everyone going? We still have more practice to do," Kade said.

"You're a one-man team, remember?" Dani asked. "Practice by yourself."

"Well, I _need_ the ball."

"You have two others," Jackie went to get her boot.

"Hey!"

Cody's phone rang. "Griffin Rock emergency. Hi, Mrs. Neederlander… hang on."

"Jackie, get your boot, First Aid, let go of Mach," Raychel said as Cody gave his cell to his dad.

"Ma-am, we had an agreement. You promised not to call every time Mr. Pettypaws goes up a tree," Chief said. "Something bigger? All right. We'll be right there." He gave Cody back the phone.

Heatwave sighed. "Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue."

Xxx

The team arrived at Mrs. Neederlander's.

"What on earth?" Chief asked.

"I wouldn't say it's bigger, but it's definitely more," graham said.

There was a vast multitude of Mr. Pettypaws in the tree.

"Don't worry, I got this," Jackie dismounted Mach and got out an insta-fence. She threw it on the lawn. "And now for a little catnip." She sprayed a bottle catnip in the middle of the fenced lawn and all the Mr. Pettypaws ran into the fence.

"Where did they all come from?" Cody asked.

"How should I know? They just showed up," Mrs. Neederlander said.

Doc Greene pulled up. "I suspected this might be where these frisky felines would escape to."

Chief sighed. "And I suspected _you_ might have something to do with these kitty clones, Doc."

"Not clones. Actually, they're products of the imaging chamber. Nothing but energy and crystals."

"What do we do with them, but at least now I know why I can't really communicate with them," Jackie walled over with one in her arms.

Kade went to pick another up, but it scratched him. "Owie! Their claws sure are real enough."

Graham then sneezed.

"Wow, that's cool!" T.J. said.

"It's not," Graham blew his nose.

"Normally, the chamber only manifests dreams. But when I boosted the power on the device, it picked up my thoughts as well. For some reason, Mr. Pettypaws popped into my head, and the next thing I knew… copy cats," Doc said.

"But how can they survive _outside_ the chamber?" Graham asked.

"Maybe it's something to do with the—" Jackie removed the collar and the kitty clone poofed.

"I equipped each of them with an energy collar to continue the experiment," Doc said.

"They stayed charged enough all this time?" Dani asked.

"Long enough to escape my lab and head straight to Mr. Pettypaws' favorite tree. Which means all these copies have the same memories and instincts of the original. Fascinating."

"Nh… I killed one…" Jackie frowned.

"Enough blather! My _real_ precious won't come out until all those Petty-posers are gone," Mrs. Neederlander said as the real Mr. Pettypaws hid in the house.

"Well, Jackie solved how to get rid of them," Chief said.

"No!" Jackie got rid of the fence and began chasing the cats away. "Be free!"

"Jackie!" T.J. and Raychel held the transmutate while Cody turned back on the fence.

"Where's the catnip?" Dani asked.

"I won't let you kill them!" Jackie yelled as she transmutated into her dragon form.

First Aid gave her an injection to knock her out.

The team began to herd the cats back into the fence.

Heatwave was using his water to herd the cats and got Kade wet while he was getting one out of a bush.

"Hey, come! You fried my comm," Kade said.

"Whoops," Heatwave said before chuckling. "Accident. Really." He sarcastically said.

The team then soon poofed all the copy cats.

"It's alright, Mr. Pettypaws," Mrs. Neederlander cooed. "All those _bad_ cats are gone now."

"Sorry about the inconvenience, Mrs. Neederlander. We didn't know Jackie would do that," Raychel said.

"It's alright. I think she needed a nap, anyway."

"Let's get Jackie home," T.J. said to First Aid.

Mrs. Neederlander went back inside with her cat.

"Hey, Doc, think we can see the imaging chamber in a couple hours? Jackie'll wake up by then and she'll be curious," Raychel said.

"Of course," Doc said. "And this time I'll cat proof the lab."

Xxx

The bots were in the bunker waiting for Jackie to wake up.

Chase got concerned when Chroma suddenly shifted on the couch.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"The sparkling just moved," she said.

"Is it too early for that?"

"Heatwave was moving when I was in that stage of gestation," Firestar said.

"Does it freak you out?" Heatwave asked.

"Yeah, since it's the first time it's happened," chroma said.

"D-do you need anything?"

"I recommend your left side," Firestar said.

"How are you certain it's female?" Chase asked.

"It's just a guess. We know we want to be surprised," Chroma said.

"Hey, maybe we can vote on what we think it's gonna be," Blades said. "Jackie said that's what her ag class teacher is doing with her classes."

"Chroma, what do you think of it?" Chase asked.

"Go ahead. Now, help me up so I can go to our room," Chroma held out her arms and Chase and Heatwave helped her up.

"Uh, so it turns out Red Alert shows up when First Aid's watching shows like _Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,"_ Inferno said as he walked Red Alert into the bunker.

"Inferno, I told you First Aid's sensitive about stuff like that," Heatwave said.

"Well, you watch it."

"That's because I fast-forward the parts that make me uneasy."

"What's going on with Chroma?" Red Alert asked.

"Her sparkling started moving and we're voting on if it's going to be male or female," Blades said.

" _Hey, guys, Jackie's up and ready to go to Doc's,"_ Kade said.

"We'll be ready in a couple minutes. Red Alert's back," Heatwave said.

Xxx

"Thanks for the demo, Doc," Boulder said.

"I'm quite proud of the technology, if I do say so myself," Doc said.

Kade then yawned.

"You need a nap, too?" Jackie asked.

Kade the found a partly eaten donut and began eating it.

"Kade!" Dani scolded.

"You don't know if whoever bit that was sick," Jackie said.

"What? I missed lunch," Kade said.

"Why didn't you pack your subway?"

"Kade would you mind if I hooked you up for the demonstration?" Doc asked.

"Just as long as there aren't any nightmare gremlins involved," Kade put the donut in his inside pocket.

"Do you want ants? Because that's how you get ants. Just have the rest of my subway. It's wrapped," Jackie handed him the rest of her meatball marinara.

"Deal."

They made the trade and Kade got in the imaging chamber while Jackie threw out the donut.

"No need to sleep or dream. Just let any thought pop into your head," Doc said.

"Good thing it's not me, then," Jackie said.

"Why—I don't wanna know," First Aid said.

"Thoughts pop in Kade's head, alright. Like balloons," Dani said.

"Clear you mind. Then, when I flip the switch, think," Doc said.

When Doc turned on the machine the power went out.

"Don't gloat yet, Kade," Jackie said as she put her agsaber on flashlight mode.

"It's most likely a blown fuse. Easily fixed," Doc said.

The commtab beeped and Cody answered it.

"Emergency dispatch," Cody said.

" _Cody, there's been a rock slide on Old Canyon Road. It's blocked in both directions. A car's trapped!"_ Jerry said.

"Thanks, Jerry. We'll be—"

"I got this," Kade interrupted his dad as he got out of the chamber. "Anybody wanna help?" Kade ran out of the room.

"I should get home before it gets dark," Jackie said. "I got fanfictions to type."

"Or you could help us with setting up detours," T.J. said.

Xxx

Chief and Cody were directing the traffic that was already there while Jackie directed the other traffic.

Blades and Chase were clearing and supporting the bridge.

Heatwave and Boulder were freeing the car while First Aid and the twins got ready to transport the occupant to the hospital.

"Hang tight, Mrs. Rubio. We'll have you out in half a sec," Dani said.

"More like half a month at this rate. Can't you guys move a few rocks?" Kade asked.

"Well, how about we just take off and let you handle everything?" Dani crossed her arms.

"Good idea. Step aside," Kade pointed at a rock. "Get that one for me, Heatwave?"

"Dude, you're cheating, man," T.J. said as he went to see if Mrs. Rubio was okay.

Heatwave quietly groaned and removed the rock blocking Mrs. Rubio's door.

"Looks like the door's jammed. Mrs. Rubio, I'm going to put this thick blanket on the bottom of the window frame and help you climb out," T.J. said.

T.J. placed the blanket and help Mrs. Rubio out of the car.

They then heard a rumbling of an avalanche.

T.J. picked up Mrs. Rubio and carried her to First Aid, who activated his force field.

The bots shielded the others.

"Finally," Kade

Raychel stormed up to him and kicked him below the belt.

Xxx

Jackie and Mach were taking a trail home when they saw four Kades walking on the road.

"You see that, too, right?" Mach asked.

"Yep," Jackie said. "Come on, let's go home."

Xxx

"Nice work, team," Chief said when they got home.

"Hey, Kade, how about helping me buff out this scratch, huh?" Heatwave pointed at the scratch on his right shoulder. "It's kinda hard to reach."

"That scratch will still be there later. I'm hungry now," Kade walked to the elevator.

"Dude, wait for me!" T.J. got out his phone and followed him.

"Heatwave, if you like, I can buff it out for you," First Aid said.

"No thanks. I trust you as a coworker, _not_ someone I want _buffing_ me," Heatwave said in disgust.

"Yeah, I wouldn't either," First Aid sheepishly admitted.

"I'm sure he means that he thinks Kade's gonna help him later," Blades said as the lift went down.

Xxx

Dani and Cody were playing the console version of _Element Quest_ when Kade put his monster/abomination of a sandwich for T.J. to take a picture.

"Everything in the fridge between two slices of bread," Kade proudly said. "I call it 'The Kade'."

"This is the third sandwich you named after yourself, dude," T.J. said as he took the picture and posted it.

"Where's the spaghetti?" Cody joked.

"Under the pudding," Kade seriously said.

"The MOLDY spaghetti?!" T.J. exclaimed.

"You're not gonna eat that in front of us, are you?" Dani asked.

"Ugh. Fine, I'll go to my room," Kade walked out of the kitchen.

"Bro, napkin," T.J. followed him with several paper towels.

Dani and Cody went back to their game and, unknown to them, a Kade clone went to the fridge and made another "The Kade".

They turned around when they heard silverware clanging and saw the clone.

"You finished that already?" Cody asked.

"Maybe you should eat a little bit slower," Dani said.

"Maybe _you_ should mind you own business," the clone rudely said. He then left.

Cody and Dani went back to the game.

"Kade has so many dishes in his room," T.J. came in carrying dirty dishes.

"And he's on his second helping," Dani said.

"What? He's still in his room."

"Nope, he just made another 'The Kade'."

"Maybe you're sleepy. I have a motto: 'if you see things and you don't have mental issues, take a nap'."

"It's not a _bad_ motto," Cody said.

Xxx

Heatwave was trying to buff out the scratch by himself because he didn't want any bots on his team to help him.

"Hey, hey, let me help you with that. You know what? Why don't you change into vehicle mode, it'll be easier," Kade clone two said.

"Okay, what's the catch?" Heatwave asked.

"What do you mean? I just wanna give you a hand."

Heatwave was surprised by this.

Xxx

"Unfragging believable!" First Aid yelled as he walked from the command center to his room on the _Sigma_.

"Wow, he's mad," chroma said.

"I'll talk to him," inferno said.

"I'll get to the command center," Firestar said.

"Let's see.10-14 is… livestock on the highway," Blades said.

"Incorrect. The proper answer is 'prowler on the premises'," Chase said.

"Oh! Do we have to do this now?"

"Time, tide, and updated police codes wait for no man."

"New 10 codes, eh?" Kade clone three asked. "May I get in on this?"

"Very funny, son," Chief said.

"I'm serious, Father. It's an important part of being a well-trained E.M.T."

"Isn't that what you and T.J. more or less said when you bought a detective kit and went to Las Vegas to test it out?" Chroma asked.

"Yeah, not one of my best moments."

"Why don't we try the code 10-17?" Chase said.

"Oh, I got it. Vehicle registration request. Am I right?"

They high fived.

Xxx

Kade clone four walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Kade, you must be starving by now. Better make another sandwich," Dani joked.

"Okay," clone four said.

"The phone rang and bipedal K-9 picked it up.

"Emergency headquarters," the Maximal said. "Sure, hold on. Kade, it's Haylay."

(A/N: I'm skipping the rest of this scene because I really don't like it)

Xxx

Graham was posing for Boulder, painting, and Emerald, sketching.

"How's it going, guys?" he asked. "My arm's getting a little tired."

"Just a few more brush strokes," Boulder said.

"I'm just sketching random stuff, now," Emerald said.

Kade clone one walked up with the sandwich. "You want an athlete to model, why didn't you ask me?" he put his sandwich down. "I can lift my own weight. Watch." Kade tried to pick up the barbell and threw out his back. "AAH! OW! My back!"

"Kade, let me give you a scan," Emerald prevented him from leaving. "Okay, your back's fine. Just a little ice and maybe lie down for a minute or two."

Kade walked away muttering "Walk it off, walk it off."

"Uh, what was that about?" Graham asked.

"I don't—what the?!" Emerald's optics widened and saw another Kade walk over and start lifting a smaller dumbbell. She looked behind the firehouse while Graham talked to 'Kade', and she saw 'Kade' walk out of view. "Is there a glitch in the in the matrix?"

Xxx

"And one minute he's in pain, the next—" Graham said.

"I know he eats a lot, but that's just—" Dani said.

"Even for Kade it's strange," Cody said.

"I swear I saw _two_ Kades," Emerald said.

Then it became a cacophony of everyone talking about Kade.

"Okay, okay, settle down," Chief said. "We'll get to the bottom of this."

"What's everyone doing down here?" Kade asked as he entered the bunker. "Why do you all look so serious?"

"How can you possibly eat three huge sandwiches in a row?" Dani asked.

"I-I'm about your back," Boulder said.

Emerald scanned him. "He's good."

"Why were you being so nice to me? It's creepy," Heatwave said.

"What do you mean? I'm always nice," Kade said.

"No, you're ego's so inflated you're experiencing shrinkage," First Aid crossed his arms.

T.J. fell down laughing.

They then began bombarding the red head about his actions.

The elevator bell than rang and, instead of one of the animal control girls, four Kade clones walked into the bunker.

"What the frag?!" K-9's jaw dropped.

"This calls for the _Twilight Zone_ theme," T.J. played a soundtrack from his phone.

"That's _X-Files_ Raychel said.

"Still fits."

"There's lots of me," Kade walked over to the clones.

"Four more Kades?" Cody asked.

"Ugh. Just what te world needs," Heatwave growled.

"Jackie's gotta see this," Emerald walked off to call the teen.

Kade examined the clones.

"What are you looking at?" clone one barked.

Original Kade backed off.

"You don't have to be so rude," clone two said.

"You know, if I always wore my slippers, I would never have to tie my shoes," clone four said.

"Good thinking. Very practical," clone three said.

Original Kade's brain than broke.

Then they got a call from Doc.

" _Chief, are you there?"_ Doc asked.

"We're ALL here, Doc. Along with a few _guests_ ," Chief said.

" _The strangest thing just happened. I was just going over the security video in the lab. Apparently, the chamber had already started processing Kade's thoughts when the fuse blew. When I replaced it—"_

"The chamber powered up and completed the job," Graham said when they saw the security footage.

"Kade must've been think of himself," Boulder said.

"There's a shock," Dani deadpanned.

"Yeah, for him he thinks a lot about himself or sports," T.J. said.

"Right here!" the Kades said.

" _It's odd that the manifestations of Kade left the lab, but with no power source to fuel the energy crystals, I'm certain they're all dispersed by now."_

"Not quite, Doc," Chief said as Kade and his clones walked in front of the camera.

" _Great Fermi's neutrons! A colony of Kades! But how can they exist without an energy source?"_

"More important, how do we get rid of them?" Cody asked.

"Well, hey, hey, no hurry. I finally got myself a basketball team," Kade said. "Let's go, Kades!"

"What is this? Futurama?" First Aid asked.

Xxx

Jackie and Mach arrived at the firehouse.

"Man, I wanted to be seeing things," Mach said.

"Okay boys. Now that you're all color coded let's see if you all share my _awesome_ physical abilities. Show me what you got," Kade threw the ball to Red, who tossed it back.

Kade and his clones began to play.

"Well, Orange is worse than me," Jackie said.

"Sorry. I was thinking about marshmallows," Orange said.

"Hm, interesting. They each appear to exhibit different behavior," Boulder noted.

"So, they _aren't_ exact copies?" Cody asked.

"Each one seems to be an extreme part of Kade's personality," Graham said.

"If we ever got rid of Kade, can we keep the smart one and the nice one?" Jackie asked.

"Unfortunately, there's _no way_ Chief'll let us do it," Heatwave said.

Then Kade and Red started arguing.

"Maybe we can convince Chief to get rid of Red," Heatwave said.

"Come on guys. Break it up," Green said.

Blue showed them a game plan he made.

"I do share Jackie's compulsion of keeping Blue and Green," Chase said.

Kade, Red, and Blue began arguing again, and Jackie and Green covered their ears.

"Oh, geez, you're not gonna mutate, are you?" K-9 asked Jackie.

"I'm going inside!" Jackie ran into the firehouse.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm loving this!" Heatwave said.

Chief's comm started beeping. "Oh, thank goodness. An emergency."

"I don't think he ever thought he would say _that_ before," First Aid muttered the Heatwave.

"A broken pipe at the natural gas reservoir," Chief said after answering the call. "Must have been caused by the rock slide. Cody, take the command center. Kade, all your _friends_ better come along. Can't leave them on their own."

"I'm going to hate this carpool," K-9 said.

"You're not coming on this mission," First Aid said.

"And I'm going to hate this carpool."

Xxx

The team headed to the emergency.

Xxx

"Hm. Smooth ride. You're good at this," Orange said to Dani.

"Can we keep him? Please?" Blades asked.

Xxx

"Come on, Heatwave. Push it, we gotta be there first," Red ordered.

"Dude, I'm only telling you this because you're me, but you're getting a little annoying," Kade said.

"A little?" Heatwave asked.

Red got so mad and grabbed Heatwave's steering wheel.

"Hands off!" Heatwave yelled as he struggled to regain control.

"You're gonna cause a wreck!" First Aid said as he activated his force field.

Heatwave hit a rock and went over the cliff.

"Heatwave!" the rest of the team cried out as they stopped in their tracks.

Heatwave transformed and tried to slow his decent, but it was to no avail and he hit the ground _hard_ on his back.

First Aid let out his humans, attached his new winch to the cliff face and rappelled down.

"Blades landed next to Heatwave. "Are you okay?"

Heatwave growled as he slowly sat up with Blades' help and opened his windshield. " **Kade. Red. Out!"**

Kade and Red climbed out.

Kade was still holding Heatwave's steering wheel, which popped off in the crash.

"You see what you did, Red?!" Kade yelled.

"Well, if you let me-!"

"SHUT UP!" Heatwave yelled. "You're both lucky to be alive. I could've landed on my chest and you could've been stabbed with glass shards and DIED! And what if I fell on my neck?! DEAD!"

"Heatwave, calm down," Blades put a hand on his shoulder.

"Why didn't you throw your winch at me?!" Heatwave went to punch the hover.

"Whoa! I still have humans!"

"Let's get you in healing stasis," First Aid helped Heatwave up.

"Heatwave's right. These extra Kades have to go before they cause more damage," Chief said.

"Blades can take the Kades home!" Heatwave said.

"I'm sorry I forgot to catch you," Blades said.

"You're still taking them!"

"I'll contact Inferno and Firestar to assist us," Chase said.

"And if Doc doesn't find a way to get rid of them, _I will_!"

xxx

Jackie was reading her _Macabre Monthly_ when she saw Haylay pull up in the firehouse driveway.

"Oh, shit! Cody, keep watching the cameras, I got this," Jackie slid down the fire pole and went to meet Haylay. "Hi, Haylay. What are you doing here?"

"I told Kade I'd meet him here. Is he around?" Haylay asked.

"Oh, he's busy right now. Wanna go for a walk with me and K-9?" Jackie's hair and eyes turned blue as K-9 walked out with his leash.

"Well, I guess so," the two walked off with K-9 on his leash. "Did you get the new issue of _Macabre Monthly_?"

"Hell, yeah!"

xxx

Blades and the Kades arrived back at the firehouse.

" _That_ was the _longest_ trip of my _life_ ," Blades said.

The Kades then got a text from Jackie.

"Oh, great. Haylay's here. She probably wants me to apologize," Kade said.

The Kades started to strategize. Well, except Orange. He was thinking about penguins.

"Green, you go talk with her," Kade said.

"Uh-uh! Kade, if Green can do it, so can you. He's basically you, but not a douchebag!" Blades said.

"Ha! He told y—hey!" Red glared at Blades.

"Ugh! Fine, I'll go," Kade walked to the driveway.

Xxx

Haylay, Jackie, and K-9 arrived back at the firehouse.

"We'll let you two talk," Jackie said as she and K-9 ran into the firehouse and into the kitchen to spy.

"You think this'll work?" K-9 asked.

"I'm betting $100 on it," Jackie said.

Kade and Haylay made up.

"I get money!" Jackie singsonged.

"From who?" K-9 asked.

"Red."

Haylay then left.

"Key, Kade, you owe Jackie $100!" Red called to Kade.

"Um, what?" Kade asked.

Xxx

"There's the leak," Graham said at the emergency location.

Boulder tried to turn off the gas. "The main valve's stuck. It must've been hit by one of those rocks, too!"

"Alright we better evacuate the area before—" Chief was cut off when power lines fell down.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" First Aid ran to them and used his Ems to create a protective force field around the team.

"Everyone, inside!" Inferno ordered as all the bots except for First Aid transformed.

"First Aid, why aren't you transforming? You can use your force field in your alt mode," Dani said.

"Not when transforming!" First Aid said. "I don't want anyone to get hurt!"

"He's right. With a gas fire, a BOT can get hurt!" Firestar said.

Xxx

" _Unfortunately, I haven't a clue why the Kade doppelgangers are still around. With no energy source, they should have disappeared long ago,"_ Doc said.

"I'm surprised the DONUTS are still around," K-9 said as he watched one of the clones pull a donut out of his pocket and eat it.

"Uh, do you guys still have your comms in your pockets?" Jackie asked.

The Kades pulled out their sparking comms as Doc explained to them that the comms were powering them.

"Well, guys, breaking up is hard to do, but…" Kade went to take their comms.

" _Cody? Kade? Can you read me?"_ Chief asked.

"We're here, Dad," Cody said.

Xxx

"We need your help. We're at the reservoir," Chief said. "The entire team is hemmed in by flames."

Xxx

"Don't worry, Dad. I got another team, right here," Kade gestured to his clones.

"I'll inject my phenotype and drink a gallon of water," Jackie said.

Xxx

First Aid collapsed from exhaustion, dropping the forcefield.

"Well, in addition to low H2O, this is fan-fragging-tastic!" Inferno said.

Blades dropped water on the fire and landed.

"Blades, get Dani, Graham, and the twins out of here," Chief ordered.

"We're not leaving you, Dad," Dani said.

"If you have a brain, you'll listen," Inferno said as dragon Jackie came and sprayed water and dropped rocks on the flames.

She then sprayed a burning tree out of the way so Blades could take off.

The Kades came and put out the fire as a team.

"Oh, thank goodness the fire's over! Chase, help me get First Aid into healing stasis," Firestar said.

"Boulder and I'll take care of the location and prevent another fire," Inferno said.

"Well, guys, time to hand 'em over," Kade said.

Xxx

"So, Kade's gonna be a better teammate, now?" First Aid asked.

"Well, hopefully for a week," Inferno said.

"That'd be a miracle," Heatwave said.

"I'm just worried that Jackie's overhydrated. People have died from that," First Aid said.

"Really?"

"Look, there's video proof of Kade's behavior," Firestar told Heatwave.

"I'm going to check it out, then," Heatwave went to the command center.


End file.
